Dr. Jennifer Keane-Dawes, ContributorME DEAR mam, yu eva memba how, when yu was a lilly pickney. How some a de tings weh yu parents used to want yu fe do, yu used to bex an wonda mek Massa Gad badda born yu fa? Like weh de sense it used to spell fe dem always want yu jook jook up yu han bout y'a hem frack tail. When de eastiest ting das coulda done was fe ketch it up it wid a common pin an just memba fe mine when y'a siddung?
Yu get me? But no, it always look like seh dem had was fe fine de hardest way fedo de simplest a tings. Well missis, a neva parents alone. Teacha did tan same way. Neva waan tap an tap till dem kill yu wid de heap a foolishness. Suh ebry gad mawning when me used to g'a White Marl School as lilly pickney, we used to haffi line up an sing: "All tings bright an beautifoooool. Hall creeeeeeachas great han small da lawd gad made dem haaaaall!!!" An when we sing suh an singsuh. An clap maskita. Fegat wi line. Jump in a any part a de chune an begin holler again.
Teacha go back go line we off inside fe go talk bout de creechas.
From de monkey pon de front a we book. To de cheetah pon de next page. An all dis while teacha a point out de creechas weh wi see ebry mawning. Notta wud acome out har mout bout de rat bat weh heng upside dung said place deh. Fass asleep an mad fe pitch ova. Suh yu tink a lilly bit a prayaz did a puddung oneside fe mek da rat bat frighten an drap off inna teacha bosom wid nowhere to be found?
Well me dear mam, just like how me neva understand why me did need fe learn fe used needle and thread for when me come big me woulda need it. A de said way meneva fully understand de real meaning of "All Things bright and beautiful, the Lord God made them all" till me tun big smady. Me dear mam, de other day me deha me yard a foreign. Siddung roun a me lilly back yard an a talk to Massa Gadall by meself.
An me dear mam, a wouldn't fool yu. But de more me begin kip quiet an begin fe look pon everything...from de grass wid de dew water. To de roses dem. To de thy me weh Miss Elaine from dung a Balaclava gi me. Well anyway, missis, as me siddung an begin look pon ebryting inna de lilly flowers garden.
A lilly tawt come to me right inna de silence. Das ebry type a flowaz inna dat yard a Massa Gad mek it. An if yu look pon dem good, de whole a dem nuh dis bloom up an pretty one time. Ebry type a dem hab a different cycle. A cycle fe dry dung till dem look like dem dead. A cycle fe fight life cause dem a dead fe lilly water.
A cycle fe grow an nuh bear nutten. An a cycle fe bloom. Dislike we as human being. An if we pay close attention to how ebryting else roun we lib, den when fe we dry up cycle come, we wi kip heart an know seh de dryness is only fe a season an we soon bloom again. For missis, me come to one conclusion seh even when we dry up till people wash mout pon we, we life nuh ova till Massa Gad seh it ova.
For listen to dis now, me hab some flowers name Tulip a one corner. Dem now, bloom up inna de spring an den all flowaz dry dung.
Suh now, right through de cowl season, Massa Gad protect dem root an kip de munder de snow an ice.
An when me fegat ebryting bout dem, Massa Gad resurrect dem pretty, pretty again. But missis, dis like how me seh me a go tell yu seh welife fallah de same principle a weh Massa Gad mek, me yeye ketch pon some next flowaz weh me fahda carry de seed fram him garden a yard an seh mek him see ifdem wi ketch. An missis, dem deh a foreign a grow like juice. But me nuh know yet how dem a go manage wid de cowl weather. But me dear when me see me fahda flowaz a grow, me seh sometime when life transplant we an put we someweh else.
Wedder from one country to de next. Fram one fambily to de next. Fram one job to de next. We can still ketch root.
Suh me dear lady, as me alone roun a me back yard a tek een de heap a flowaz inna dem diffrant stage a development, de butterfly, de bird, an de ants dem alook fe de food weh dem sure lef fe dem.
Me spirit begin fe sing: "All things bright and beautiful, the Lord God made them all." An a deh suh me really begin fe know why Teacha did a lick da ting deh inna me head ova an ova. An why Massa Gad neva ansah me prayaz fe de rat bat drap inna him bosom an gi'm heart attack.
Tek Care!
Dr. Jennifer Keane-Dawes is Director of Graduate Studies at Norfolk State University in Virginia.
