Jennifer Keane-Dawes, Contributor

Me dear mam,

De adda day gone a nice backra family me bin talking to bout de goodness of Jesus Christ, invite me fe Sunday dinner. But me pot a red peas rice an peas, an me curry chicken inna de dutchie weh me madda gi me, did done deh pon de stove a wait wid de tambran juice an de vegetable inna de fridge fe me come fram church. Well, since yu cyan dis live fe yuself, me go an siddung roun de table wid ebrybaddy. Dish prepare an put out. Me yeye fasten inna de table middle.

Fram me bawn me neva behold some a dem deh sinting. Knife an fork start mek noise. A little ting like fedda brush gainst me right foot. Dawg! Unbuckle him four foot. Rise up wid de mell a dawg kibbaing de entire atmosphere. An tep out fram under de table. Den outta nowhere, a next one, an him puss fren, begin walk towards me like bride an groom. Me mout begin full a water. An a neva mout water a drain. Yu read me?

Satan seh, git up fram under dis ya condition an come g'a yu yard. Massa God seh, siddung. An bear Me witness. Yu cyan choose yu assignment. Suh me siddung, plea fe grace, tun me heart to de goodness a dem, an fingle fingle wid de lettuce an fry onion till me come to.

Mek dem talk

But me dear mam, as me continue fe a fingle de lettuce, dis ting weh name pickney-muss be-seen- an-not- heard neva belong ya suh. For me a watch under de ky way, how backra mek de lilly pickney dem talk. Question me. Reason out tings. Defend dem opinion. An me realise seh a train dem a train dem fe grow up wid entitlement. An me begin memba how when me was a lilly pickney me couldn't even defend meself when a big ooman tell lie pon me seh me neva tell har evening. An how nuff a we know fram we a grow, fram two big smady a talk, we did haffi fine we self roun a back. Because we job, as pickney, was to be seen an not heard.

Galang walk

Like we an dis ooman who use to come a fence. Right inna de middle a we hop skotch game. Das we had was fe lef an go roun a back for, after she buy de calaloo, instead a galang walk. She had was fe hitch up deh an talk to we madda. Well, me nuh quite memba a which one a dem pickney. Das sen de littlest one fe go roun a front go ask har. In front a me madda. If she bathe fram mawning. One murderation! But Massa God reward all those who serve him. For we used to seh we prayers a night time. An couple day after dat, she come back come lean up wid har back to de fence. Har head siddung pon har neck like roast breadfruit pon wood fire.

Bite

When Aaron (a gooda one a dem pickney did sick him pon har), begin one gillup. Spring right up fe bite har inna har head back. When har wig come right off inna him mout. One kin teet dat evening! Suh me dear mam, mek we balance de pickney dem. Dem cyan too bright fe hegs up inna people argiment. But, tek it fram smady weh lib mongst backra. Dem cyan too dark either. Dem cyan fraid fe huppen dem mout inna de worl dem muss lib eena. For, between yu, me an de door post, when pickney grow dark. Fe teacha an people tun roun call dem jackass cubby an half eediat. Missis, it wus bad.

Dr Jennifer Keane-Dawes is a professor of communication at Elizabeth City State University, a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina System