Jennifer Keane-Dawes, Contributor
ME dear mam, de other day me had was fe meet dis fambily a foreign. Suh, since dem neva much long move come a foreign from fe dem country, dem neva quite memba de full foreign address weh dem lib. Suh, when dem was trying fe gi me de directions, dem did memba de road but not de exact combinationa de number a de yard. Well, anyway, me drive galang. An when me ketch pon de road, me begin fe drive slow. A look fe see if me see any a dem out inna de yard. Well my dear lady, me neva see a soul, but of all de house pon de road, me notice dis one das hab a whole heap a dutty boot line off pon de mat pon de veranda. Pupa boot. Muma boot. Baby boot an visita boot.
Breeze out
Ebry boot lef outta door overnight fe breeze out. While everybaddy under sheet a kill sleep.
But me dear mam, after me go deh an begin beat dung de door. Cause de boot dem, plus de condition a de boot dem, mek me know certain seh a deh dem lib, everybaddy fly pass de clack. Huppen de door. Fe come ask me a what time. Suh me seh to meself seh bwoy, from yu hab a keen eye like me granny, nuh matter weh people go. An nuh matter weh dem do. Yu can still tell weh dem used to. Cause missis, when it used to come on to fe me granny. Nuh matter how eddicated de smady was, Or nuh matter how dresstificated dem be. Fe me granny coulda tek one look pon how dem position dem self pon de veranda.. One look pon how dem yeye dis a roam through de door creases when de door huppen. Or one look pon how dem belch an neva seh pawden. Fe she come announce roun a back seh de smady charactergone.
Suh missis, while nuff foreign people nuh joke fe cock up dem foot wid de said dutty boot pon dem cawfee table, inna settee, or even inna bed. (An if yu believe a lie, tun on yu TV an look pon dem good) When it come on to dis lef-yu-boot-outta-door bisniss, nuh joke wid nuff Third World people, including meself. Cause a dis late a days me kine a tone dung little. Cause while me nuh hab nuh more fowl coob top like weh me used to put me crepp pon a night time when me lilly. Or while me naw go really lef me boot outta door now fe mek foreign dawg cause me fe run dem dung an charge fe murder,
me naw go tek one look pon a smady clean, clean floor or carpet. An walk inna dem house wid de boot unless me get permission. Yu get me? Cause while a next man woulda stan up oneside an seh de place mek fe walk pon, if yu notice good, de same householder wi either tell yu seh is awright. Kip dem on. Or him wi smile an show yu which part yu fe lef dem till yu ready. Suh missis, yu cyaan run joke wid certain tings an certain people. A lie?
A certain set
Cause yu might know a set weh, when dem spread up dem bed an feel tired inna de day, woulda prefer spread a sheet pon de floor an liddung rather dan go pon de bed. An when dem wake up an fine dem nose cawk up, dem up an dung a wonder wah cause it. Not fe mention de people dem weh hab certain part a dem house weh not even dem pickney can go. Or, certain tings inna de breakfront weh dem kip fe certain day. Fegatting everyting seh we know not de day nor de hour when Massa Gad a go call we home. Suh me dear mam, when me see de boot dem pon de verandah, me dis smile to meself. Cause me couldn't help but memba me pickney days when me used to haffi go dung pon me elbow an me two knee fe polish an shine de floor a Satideh mawning time.
An after me done an coulda see me face through de floor. Every Jack Mandora inna de house used to haffi lef dem boot outta door same way. Tek Care!
Dr. Jennifer Keane Dawes is a communications professor and a radio talk show host in the university of Norht carolina system.
