Dr. Jennifer Keane-Dawes, ContributorMe dear mam:
DE OTHER day dis white lady a foreign fine herself nuh feel suh good. Suh she check een to dis hawspital fe dactah tell har what wrang. Well missis, de news seh de dactah tek out him stityscope an begin tell har fe blow een an blow out.
When all on a sudden, de ooman spring right offa de bed. Frighten de poor man nayly kill him. Buss through de ward door. An wid de lilly piece a hawspitalfrack back huppen said way. Run out inna de miggle road. Jump eena one ambulance. Tumble dung pon de driva weh a hide een deh when him did well suppose fe eena de hawspital a mek himself useful. Tun on de sireeen. Force him dung fe small up himself. An den tek off wid de people dem ambulance dung de road. Wid de two a dem now form one double head smady roun de one steering wheel.
Meantime, one heap bizzy baddy, who did dis hear what a galang. Fly out a de hawspital wid mout an yeye wide huppen. A look two side up an dung fe de ooman, de hostage, an de ambulance weh gone bout dem biniss.
Massy.
Well Missis, me hear seh but fe de grace a Massa Gad, it was a police man who get de call an run go tun him vehicle crass way de mout a de ambulance a tear acome. Shet him yeye tight an siddung in deh said way. When de hostage was dis intime fe wrastle weh de steering wheel an catapult de ambulance inna de bankin weh police run come now. Arrest de ooman. An realize seh a mad smady. Come back again, dis next white man inna him house bizzy bizzy a mek a cup a cawfee. Well, him put it inna de cup. Drap a spoon a sugar inna it. An begin move towards the fridge fe get de milk fe put in deh. When, him seh him hear smady call out to him. An when him tun roun, him nuh si nuh baddy. Ongle dis ooman pon him TV a chat a galang bout buy one, an get a next one free. Anyway, him still huppen de fridge an tek out de milk. But when him listen again, is a next smady dat ponde TV. A wash mout pon Bin Laden who lef earth long time an tell ebrybaddy fe kiss de dirt. Well, de man done mix him cawfee an siddung fe drink it. When, ade TV dat again. Wid smady else a chat. Suh, inna one piece a bextation, him fly right up an buss a shat right betwixt de chatterbox two yeye inna de TV glass.
Wid de express intention fe bline him. Cause ascordin to him, dem people pon TV too blinkin fiteegin.
Come back again, dis school bus suppose fe carry people pickney ga school. When dis white man driva, dis spin dem roun an carry dem way to dickants inna next fur place a foreign. Bout like from City Kingston to dung a Bay. Claim seh him a carry dem fe drive out. Turn out dat notta ting more dan sinting neva too right wid him. An me dear mam, believe you me, a after me hear dis spate a tings weh a heppen to de poor people dem weh lose dem mine, me begin tek notice a de heap a Bellevue hawspital weh me haffi pass day een day out when me a carry me son gaschool. Suh me seh to meself seh look at dat, si backra an come lib wid backra atoo diffrant tings. An while me sarry fe dem cause sickness is no respecta of persons, me seh mek me pinch yu an tell yu seh some a dem hab more problem dan tongue can tell. An mark yu, de mijarity a dem hab money, an lib inna de lan of milk an honey. But yet still, ebry day yu hear bout a diffrant kine a mind boggling sinting weh dem involve inna. But between me an yu, yu know wah me believe missen fram nuff a dem life? De said four little wud: In God we trust weh print up pon dem money long time but now dem a try pass law fe get people fe paste up inna school, court house an public place. Because ascordin to dem, a de national motto. But missis ma, nuh badda seh me seh. Cause if dem heng on pon me, me woulda really haffi tell dem seh a Davis me name an me an yu neva hold nuh argiment. But yu si fram de boom drap a New Yawk? Ebrybaddy tun righteous.
But mek dem nuh tan deh paste up da four wud inna dem heart, an si if people nawgo still wanda if dem righted.
Tek Care!
Dr. Jennifer Keane-Dawes is Director of Graduate Studies at Norfolk State University in Virginia.
