ME DEAR mam, de other day me a drive pass Heroes Circle an me heart sick. Not because we love crab an not even de coal stove me sight crass de road weh dem always cook crab. An not because me see de mad man tan up inna de miggle miggle road an truck a come, because me used to dis ya sight.
Misses, me heart sick when me begin imagine weh we National Heroes dem a seh out de cost a libing inna de country. An it nuh spell sense a man a go seh das de hero dem dead and gone. Cause nuff a we know seh some a de biggest dreama, a we said generation weh pass on, an who decide fe dream we and tell we tings. Suh dat be de case, me picture Garvey, Bogle, Nanny, Busta, Sam Sharpe and Daddy Manley siddung in a dem yard wid dem han a dem jaw.
All de one Garvey him draw dung to nutten, so-so bone. An Busta him fava smadey weh reach a death door.
Suh anyway, Sam Sharpe ask Nanny if she put on pot from mawning.
Miss Nan: "Bwoy, is not to seh me wouldnt likek to ya nuh. But when e go dung a de wholesale yessideh, some bread a house an lan money weh de sinting dem a sell fa, me head raise!"
Sharpe: "Weh you mean by?"
Busta: Cut een same time. "Nuh badda crass me spirit dis mawning.
Sharpe: "Yu know what is fe yu problem? Yu dead to de worl. Weh you mean by weh Miss Nan mean by? Yu know how much fe a tin a condense milk das use to sell fe seven pence hapenny?"
Miss Nan: "Awright, oonoo done. Me fine a way out cause me draw some cerassee from side a Michael house."
Bogle: "Bwoy, it come een like all me a Ali Button. Walk fe nutten. Bayfoot to rhatid dis fe changes mek inna poor people life. An look weh de son of a gun dem a do wid de people dem.
Miss Nan: "Nubadda talk bout de gun. All de years me did inna bush a fight Backra, me neva see nutten suh. Hem sixteen. Hoosoozi. All kine a big wud sinting das mek gun man a tun de country inna slaughter house. Dis de tawt a it mek me belly bun me".
Garvey: "But Miss Nan, yu nuh see de joke a it? Yu fight one white man, but a next one come. An a him a run things now".
Bogle: "Who, yu mean de Hayne dem?"
Garvey: "Said one. A fe him dawta married name Coke.
Busta: "Suh a which part fe dem estate deh?"
Bogle: "Dem nuh hab none! De fambily a dem come from dis place name, haam, smady ketch me up..."
Garvey: "Columbia. An a dem a run tings".
Daddy Manley: "A dat me hear to. Plus dem hab some overseer name Don. An government an everybaddy fraid a dem like puss. Such while de Coke-Hayne and de Don dem deh ahead, government a lead from behind. Das why ebryting now drap dung pon poor people.
Busta: "An de next ting is dis. Weh dis heap a car pon de road fa? Too much car and no road. Yu nuh see how car lick dung dis man outta gate de adda day, mash up him foot wriss?"
Daddy Manley: "Ankle, me cousin, ankle. Ankle deh pon foot and wriss deh pon han".
Busta: "A suh nuh?"
Nanny: "Something haffi done though man. De country cyaan dis a galang outta control. An it nuh spell sense dem a go talk boat who a lead inna poll. Cause de wul striking lot a dem a de said ting. Mix up inna de corruption from start to finish. Cause from one man a go barrah millions a dallah from bank and claim seh him neva memba fe pay it back, den weh else him won't fegat?"
Sharpe: "Cho man, de wrath of God going come dung pon dem people ya weh a kip poor people inna bondage.
Miss Nan: "Awe sah. Ooonoo come drink de tea before it cold".
An wid dat, de whole a dem go back inna dem bed go stretch out, knowing full well seh dem hab no place fe tun.
Tek care!
Dr. Jennifer Keane-dawes is a communications professor and a radio talk show host in the University of North Carolina system.
