ME dear mam, fram me was a lilly pickney me always hear de song 'Carry go bring come my dear, bring misery. Yu going from home to home, creating disturbancy.'
An missis, sake a how a only Black people like mi an me madda. An de shoemaker up a shap. An de man weh pass an sell pint bottle. An de teacha weh tell principal seh she sick but outta door a heng out clothes. An de bwoy weh use to bruck people house, did lib inna wi community, me did believe seh a only people weh look like dem de song man did a sing bout. Cause, fe tell yu de truth, white people did ongle carry bulgar an milk powder, wid a hearty good mawning, fe de school canteen. Or mek spit fly outta dem mout pon people forehead when dem fe mention any little ting.
Like de one white teacha weh use to teach me art a school. Sprinkle we forehead like wi neva christen good. An nuh realise seh somebaddy did pinch smady else an tell wi seh white people spit was a deadly sinting.
Well wid dat deh belief, one day, de said art teacha come side a me desk an a look pon me train weh me did draw a go through dis tunnel. Wid two cloud up a top an a bed a flowaz to de side.
Well, as she coulda ask me seh de flowaz was wah. When me a look pon it an know seh a flowaz. Me feel a puddle a sinting drap pon me lef han. Like when de lass drap a rain water roll offa de house tap an lan a grung. Suh when me draw weh me yeye quick fram de flowaz an look pon me han, me behold dis heap a water sinting a bubble up an bubble up. An den dry right dung. Right inna me vein fe go kill me off. Massy Gad. De whole a me paralyse same time. While all dis while dis white ooman tan up side a me a criticise how me train an cloud cyaan purple same way. An a wet up mi neck back like when breeze a blow rain through bus windah. Missis, a piece a bad feelings tek me! Fram me aise kanah to me jaw bone to me shoulder blade to me knuckle an run right dung to me five finga. De way de pizen begin fe work pon me.
Meantime, dis bwoy, weh did hab double row teet an siddung crass way fram dis gal weh used to tek train come a school a mawning time. An sleep right back till evening come. Him now, begin fe kin him teet. Well, a way up inna lunch time das two patty an a coco bread bring back de lilly life inna me han.
Well my dear lady, de other day me deh a foreign inna dis bank an me an a white lady get to talking. Suh, she huppen har yeye wide an ask me if me come fram Guatemala, de way me speak. Suh me clarify it fe har. Suh hear har:
"Oh, yu come fram de country weh live offa wi?"
Me: "Weh yu mean by?"
She: "Nuh de touriss? Oonoo suppose fe mek a heap a dallahs offa wi."
Me: "Nuh really yu nuh. Cause while some come an spen, nuff a dem up an dung a look fe ganja. Yu neva know?"
She: "Is dat right?" Den him change de argiment. Me hab a fren who did like Bob Marley. A 22 year now since him dead. An when him get de cancer fuss, him did g'a dactah but him couldn't fine de seventy dallah fe pay. Suh it spread. But anyway, de Wailers doing well same way. Up to lass week Peter Tosh did deh pon tour inna Virginia."
My dear lady, me did a go argue wid har. But when me see some spit begin fly outta de mout, me memba weh me fren dem tell me fram me a pickney. Suh mi dis move oneside an begin hum "Carry go bring come my dear."
Believe you me, a wish de song man did deh bout suh a coulda shake him han.
Tek care!
Dr. Jennifer Keane-Dawes is a communications professor and a talk show host in the University of North Carolina system.