Two women met in 'Peace Park': the name had been painted in bold tarry letters on a nearby wall.

The women had been talking on the phone and decided that things were so not-pleasant with the 'pleasant viewing' that they had to get away from watching television at home.

The piece of ground known as Peace Park was seen as a symbol of hope. It was well known that it had been scraped together by the few young men who still cared. The women could not talk about them too loudly because bush, they knew, still had ears.

Those young men have not shot anyone. Their names are not on police blotters. Those young men stick their heads out from behind zinc fences only after the shooting stops. They often look to see if schoolchildren are walking safely down the lane. Today, the Don might not have sent for their little sister to elevate her to the status of a ?Donness?. Today, those taxi drivers who happen to have caught the twin gender-biased diseases of ?showoffishness? and 'overtakefulness' have missed their chance to splatter these beautiful, innocent children in their neat uniforms all over the road.

The young men have collected discarded motor tyres, placed them strategically bordering the walkway, and stuck a few stalks of monkey fiddle, aloe vera and leaf-of-life in the circle of dirt. Thankfully they do not have to water them (the water commission pipes are just a memory), for even if it does not rain there is still dew at night, and these are hardy plants.

The two women looked around at the obvious spots where the old parks lay ruined. They thanked God for the young men who had attempted to redeem that which was lost.

Those who lived in that vicinity might have heard the Big Boy tales or Anancy stories:

Once upon a time there were structured parks with neatly trimmed ficus trees along the periphery. Therewas a profusion of crotons and Joseph?s coat of many colours, and in the middle was well-tended crab and Bahama grass, all hemmed in by mesh wire. Back then, goats and cows were tied with hemp ropes where they belonged ? in fields and back yards. There was the odd park bench, made of concrete and laced with steel, and even a few birds singing in the branches, because the slingshot to shoot them with had become as outdated as the 'subble' jack then used to chastise children for shooting at feathered friends.

Now there was a Peace Park at almost every corner.

The two women cracked a joke, but it was a serious joke, that at that time of day the rabid young men were not yet awake ? too much shooting and dancing last night, with loud music playing up to six a.m. That was the time when some of their own children were leaving for school; when grandmothers were obliged to get up and help prepare children for school; when baby-mothers and other women went off to work or hustle.

A legacy of sleepless nights for the elderly. For visiting ambassadors. For shut-ins.

'They think because you are getting old you don't notice anything, you are not affected, and you don?t count.' Point taken.

The two women have had a long association, so they do not need much encouragement to reminisce for a while before tackling 'issues' ? issues which have not yet been taken up 'live' by hard-working young media professionals, obviously overworked and underpaid ? issues that don?t all add up.

'We have come a long way, my sister. Our children have grown up and some have left home. So tell me how yours have made out. I know you tried, most times single-handedly.'

'Lawks, ma?am, member those two lickle bway you buy the firs slate an pencil fa? Well, one reach New Yawk? ? here she covered her mouth to whisper how he had reached there ? 'and den him sen fo him brother afta him seckle down, get basement fe live inna and car fi drive. Now to cut long story, one of de two get dead, tru mix-up? Here she stopped and swallowed her spittle. 'But de odda one sending ticket for me to go pon vocation.'

'Good for you! But make sure you come back at the time stated, or you lose the chance for another visit. And I am really sorry about that son, who never lived to ponder his ways. America has not been easy on some of our boys, but the girls usually make it. It seems parents are not equipping the boys with the necessary coping skills from early.'

'A gwine aks yu a bonify question, ma?am, an a want yu tell me de truth. As ?cording to how de bwoy speak pon de celliphone, dem hab dem owna Jumaica ova dere. So yu tink me should buy new suitcase an new clothes jus fi lef Jumaica go a Jumaica? Me no gwine look like id-ibo

'Oh no, that's not how it is at all. There is in fact a Jamaica Long Island in one of the boroughs. It is either Brooklyn or Queens. Pack and go, by all means, and have a good time, you deserve it. If any of your children work and offer you something, accept it with gratitude, as long as it is not illegal or contraband. They want to be appreciated too, you know.'

'Lawks, ma?am, is too much fi mention. Mos? boys no listen to advice. Memba dat is seven chilvren me raise, apart from the one that die from mirasme as baby. Two a de girls dem at my home wid baby now, two is at England, and de washbelly boy say him learning food and bebridge at secondary. Not bad at all, especially de last boy. De way him belly long, im should scrape honours in any missa food an suga-an-wata for touris industry. But tru it all, ef you neva did help me wid dem, ah don?t know how ah woulda manage.'

'Ah, my dear. We are both older now and it is good we have always kept in touch. For if you did not help me with the house so I could send mine to school, dance class and music lesson while I worked in the office, what would I have done They are now professionals in their field, thanks largely to your dedication.'

'Deesant young lady like your own wouldn' ack like dat girl what I see come pon TV, heng out har tongue, ketch de young man by him necktie, nearly heng him by him neck til him dead, dead, dead. The gyal too forwud, ma?am, an what she doin in the men tylit wid two man in dere I so vex I don?t even look what dem advatising at all, at all!'

'Alright, calm down, it?s probably the technique the sponsors agreed to use. I seem to recall that the advertising world does not count out the use of shock and even annoyance to market their product. Some believe the more people are annoyed over something, the more they talk about it. The more the viewers and the
buying public exhale, the more the product sells. The instructions of the producer may be where the crux of the matter lies.'

'Hexale? Hexale? Ah glad yu mention dat, for afta all a dat, a big mout open fi hexale. An speakin of open mout, is what dose pink sinting waving dung de young ooman throat fava sea weed, ma?am? Ef yu aks me, she pass on some virustic blacteria to dat poor young man. A wonder if him don?t realise him can sue dem fe derailment of character? Ef is America any at all, suing can teck place, yu undastan, ma?am, it can win him a bag a cash, for is, what dem call it? Someting or other at de workplace!'

'Oh, you mean gender abuse at the workplace. Indeed, if it was the girl being harassed by the male you would hear the loud outcry about women being sexually abused by touching and handling, not enough lavatories, inequality in pay and promotion. Even the Human Rights people would be up in arms about a lone female attacked by two vicious young men who are well dressed on the outside but only to hide their lascivious intentions; to say nothing of the Women?s Bureau.?

?Is true, ma,am, and dose same Human Wrongs people don?t come out for the police. Ebery call is for the police, fire, flood, fight-pop, fingerprint, larceny and looting, home wrecking an homecide. When dem rough up a young law-breaker, the whole districk turn out fi say im was de mos? well behave young angel walking on eart? in men clothes. Ebery night the TV sprawl off police face an name, like say criminal naw watch TV too. TV editor don?t edit out de part where people callin police, including visitor who come to help, by them firs name without title, which due even to Caesar.?

?I can see you are really
disturbed by the way the media is handling things.?

?Dem forwud up de most good-lookin, pretty, bright-an-beautiful, gargeous, well pronouncing , well put-togadda young ooman an young man, only to come fi read bad news. For what de management do? Give dem pure duppy fi read bout! It seem nothing good don?t happen epsep de one lickle ray of hope. Ebery wrongdoer know dat they doing wrong. Nowadays there is counsellors, pastors, teachers and good neighbours they can go to and thrash out problems, but dem prefer teck up instrument. A tink a betta gu home for a getting jus as upset as if a watchin TV inside de house. But tap, is which bureau yu was talking bout ma?am?? And she put her hands akimbo and tilted her head.

?I think I meant both that and Women?s Media Watch. A not-so-new but disturbing trend which we don?t hear them commenting on, is how local plays are depicting women in the senior category, and police officers in the junior age-band, as deserving of public bashing. This unflattering trend seems to be given excessive air play, morning, noon, night and in-between, likely because production companies are now better able to pay for advertising. There was a time when they couldn?t afford more than the announcement of time and place.

Now they can afford to stage plays in hotels, whether uptown, midtown, downtown or no town, and pay for long extracts geared at the sensational. They are able to obtain high school auditoria seemingly with or without sanction of the relevant ministry and board, and we see no 'riders' stating 'adults only' or 'no insult to women intended? in these airings. The media houses gleefully

highlight H.O.T episodes in which bashment and cantankerous incidents of domestic violence abound, and which children are watching. When the young constable is not shown brandishing, nay, flourishing a play-play gun, he is caught as in a vice perhaps between a rock and a hard place after the wigs have rolled away to reveal the real player. And this is even as the same media get ready to showcase the most sensational scenes from the upcoming street fetes and carnivals, scenes which really should remain where they were enacted ? on the street.'

'Deestant producer callin we old shoes-box in public. Inside de theatre it bad an not too bad, yu choose fi pay go een. Gran-madas from hell a-fire shot, whinin pon stage, proform high jump ova settee an da chase young borderline homobexual an crass dressa, and being involve all kine a ole-time bump an grine?? She counted the indiscretions on her stiff fingers. ?Bob Marley woulda turn in him grave in his birth month, when de local stage showin ooman involve in such crazy tenament yard gymnastic instead-a cooking corn meal porridge. Woman cryin.'

'Do they know the strong power of suggestion in subliminal imagery by suggesting we must 'get on bad'? And do you realise we are both grannies?? Here she managed to smile. ?However, when next we meet, maybe in another Peace Park, I hope we can find fewer vexatious issues and at least some peaceful solutions. But before we go, did I hear you say something about your eyes as we were entering the park??

?Oh yes. Ah was sayin dat me eyes dem getting dawk, yu see! Cyan?t even string a neegle again. Somebody recommen? me to a place name something like fish up so, two mont? now. Dem treat me quite good and say me have glue coma, so maybe de eyes soon shet an can?t open.? And here she laughed uproariously, bending over and holding her knees.?I?ve been thinking I should try and come up with help for you, even ten thousand dollars to assist with the lens and prescription. You should get scratch-resistant bifocals with UV shield for the sun. My pension is not that large, but one thing with Government, it may be small but it is reliable, rain or shine. But what I really want to say is, when people?s children have gone through?, so to speak, they should help others with theirs. I am glad you and I have practically become sisters over the years. I could always tell you anything, and you have given me advice like any trained counsellor in many instances, in your own cut-and-dried way?.

She smiled for the second time that morning, and changed the subject to avoid a discussion of the promised commitment.

And speaking of advice, what would you say to a company that sends out their young ladies walking in cowdung to have papers signed on some farm or other??

Whoi, don?t turn me on here today, yu hear, ma?am. You mean de company what have man swimmin undawater like submarine to reach people stranded over Flarida Keys, some in cut-back bathin suit and straw hat an some full dress? A wonda ef is de same one dat meck a fada teck him son out-a-bush fe show him inheritance, which tun out to be a lickle ole house bruckin dung right dere an den? No young man should insult so, no fada should expec fe teach a son any lesson that way. Ma?am, yu can see dat I speechless!

True, the young misses nowadays are well dressed and sophisticated even if they may be field staff. Let?s see what happens when she reaches her desk to compose the expense account; those will no doubt include shoes and stockings (don?t rule out water boots), general wear and tear, psychological distress and physical exhaustion. Inexpensive shoes are of man-made material, not exactly water-friendly. She will need mani and pedi, and a trip to the chiropodist to check her toes for vector invasion. I heard that a female client went right into an office and tried to send a message by customer service agent to the big boys upstairs in meetings, that somebody was ripping off customers? hard earned savings with these flights of fancy. The couple taking photos of UWI grad - who are these people??