Ley me conscience be my guide

Ah miss Green Party man, Ordan Graham. He dared to play prophet and had predicted dat if de Go-venom-ment didn’t divert from its draconian path, dat Blood will run pon de streets ah Sin-Vin-Sin. As ah result ah dat statement Ordan was charged foh “was it in-sight-in treason or something like dat?” De case was dismissed and subsequently, Ordan temporarily exiled himself from his home-land.{{more}}

Ah don’t want to mek Ordan Graham look like I-sigh-yah but every time dey’s another murder in SVG, my girl Lie-Za meks de one comment: “Ordan’s words have come to pass!” De fact remains dat lately ah lot ah young men and some of our lady folks have been murdered, shot and killed on de streets ah Sin-Vin-Sin, some in cars, some running, some walking, some liming on de blocks and some in they sleep. Is like ah carnage, ah civil war, way de blood of our young men literally running pon de streets!

Lie-Za heard about ah Hit List wid names ah people of all walks-in-life, her concern however is she no longer feels safe sleep-in and hug-in up Lie-Owe in bed ‘cause de hit-man might miss de targeted house, mek his free entry to de bedroom, and mek ah clean sweep!

Now our goodly Pry-Minister Gone-Soft gets terrible annoyed and throws tantrum and verbal venom, beating up on those of us who dare to comment on Crime, Victim-I-say-shun , indefensible White Courts Corrupt-shun and serious national matters! We are charged with “clothe pull-it-to-kill buy-us and part-tease-an bile in all kind of language.” De cap fits me when Pry-Minister Gone Soft speaks about “ah writer who seem to consider himself de conscience of the nation…” He would be pleased to know dat lately de silenced Priests and Pastors pon de pulpit and de Radio, admitting and appealing to de Lord in prayer for de current ULP Go-venom-mint dat does not have de solution.

De ULP has ah sustained record of victim-I-say-shun. My house did not have de ULP pull-it-to-kill Red Blood on de door when Fear-oh plague passed, as ah result my “first born” grand-daughter fell victim! Ah still hearing her helpless voice on the other end of the phone, when she called from her workplace at de Men-tell-Hell’t Sent-her, explaining to me dat forty-five new Nursing Graduates were appointed, and she did not see her name on de list. She had topped dat Class foh de 3-year duration ah de Nursing Program, de house used to be full ah Throw-fees and Awe-wards she got every year, yet no employment foh her.

Our minds are fresh wid de Calm Pain wretch-trick dat de ULP fed de electorates back in 1998 and 2001, charging dat P.M. Mitch-hell and Police Boss Two cent were responsible foh de S-kill-hating Drug and Crime sit-yuh-hear-shun in SVG at dat time, and dat dey, de ULP had de solution! Fourteen years later, what are we seeing today, an Admin-is-stray-shun dat appears powerless, literally impotent, not important yuh know, IMPOTENT, unable to do anything about de Crime situation, Drugs, de Cook-cane sit-yuh-here-shun.

Ah started de Article wid how ah missed Ordan, really is about his regular presence at de Grave-side, he made death ah time ah rejoicing wid his one-man Band, Harmonica and Guitar, getting even de bereaved to sing and clap hands to dem ole time traditional Sankeys and grave-side choruses. He drafted Matthew Thomas on Sax and I played de Cuatro, wid occasional appearances from Nina Maloney, Victor Peters and John Horne chipping in wid de vocals. We even earned ah name:” Ordan and de Grave-diggers,” and folks uses to heckle us and say we are de Green Party Band. Ordan uses to get carried away wid ah popular Sankey tune: “When I get there (Heaven), I would sing and shout!” He would sing it two, three even four times at ah Funeral. Ah later figured dat he was punning on de chances of “When Green Party gets there” into office.

But had Ordan been around, EG Lynch would ah bin getting ah big send off from de full contingent of Grave Diggers. Even in his absence ah would ah still love to go but me “conscience” would not allow me. My problem is, ah made several attempts to visit EG at de Hospital and Garden of Eden, to play ah few choruses foh him, for ah know he would ah found peace and comfort in my playing, but ah only went once. Now he dead and gone, ah ask me-self de words dat Jesus asked his disciples in de book of Matthew: “where were you when ah was pon de Hospital bed sick and needed help, widout food and medication and comforting words?” So you see way ah coming from, I should ah visit EG more, but ah failed de friendship during his lifetime when he needed it most. If ah didn’t give him his well deserved flowers when he was alive, way de juice ah trying to prove now EG dead and gone, say ah playing Sankey choruses and giving tribute. I still have me conscience which is my guide! And wid dat, Is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.