My Christmas promise to pay a social visit to a patient in Maverley was greeted with"No, no, no, no!" I had been to her home several times before but she said that the 'war' going on between her community and Drewsland had escalated and she thought that it was too dangerous for me to come there over the holidays.

She said that she spent most of her time inside and that she gingerly makes her way to and from work where they were kind enough to assign her to a shift that gets her back home before dark. She also said that the 'warring' factions are 'boys' that went to school together when they were younger and, for reasons unknown to her, these young men were waging a war among themselves. She said that people in both communities are living in perpetual fear.

The ongoing gang rivalry, violence and deadly exchange is driving some citizens from both communities into their homes, putting everyone's life at risk and even resulting in indiscriminate slaughter. The most outrageous abomination occurred on Wednesday, December 2, in Drewsland when, during a joy ride on a motorbike with her uncle and three-year-old brother, 7-year-old Colby Lewis was shot to death and her uncle injured by 'invading' gunmen.

A hellish place

And, on Wednesday, December 9, a well-known individual on the Maverley side of the Washington Boulevard divide was murdered at his place of business. Rumours abound that he was an annoying obstruction to gunmen who wanted to traverse his property for nefarious reasons or, it could have been a retaliation killing - who knows? The situation is reminiscent of a vicious jungle; a hellish place where bloodthirsty predators prey on their helpless victims. The police have been concentrating their efforts in order to quell the violence but, as usual, these are only temporary measures.

We have too many idle, uneducated/ undereducated, unskilled, poor, fatherless, aimless, angry, misdirected, desperate and bored, street-corner youths brimming with unfocused energy and awash with surging testosterone. They are easy prey for criminal gangs and, in turn, communities become easy prey for them. Atop the 'food chain' sit several mysterious, shadowy figures - rich, sometimes social creatures presenting a façade of humanness while (indirectly or directly) supporting and benefiting from violent gangs that thrive on rivalry and bloodshed.

Tyranny

Nobody should be living under the iron heel of tyrannical, murderous gunmen. This atrocity becomes amplified during this season dedicated to peace, love and the spirit of giving. With this in mind, I modified Jingle Bells to portray the plight of many of our citizens today.

Dashing to and fro with a mind intent to slay, through the fields they go, to make their getaway - hell is all they bring, making spirits tonight, what's fun for some to maim and kill leaves all of us in fright.

Oh, jungle hell, jungle hell, jungle everywhere, it's no fun at all to hide for fear you'll disappear - Jungle hell, jungle hell, jungle everywhere, it's no fun at all to hide for fear you'll disappear.

A day or two ago, I thought I'd take a ride, but soon as it was night, I had to get inside - their guns they clean and crank, misfortune is their lot, their souls are dark and dank, angels they are not.

Oh, jungle hell, jungle hell, jungle everywhere, it's no fun at all to hide for fear you'll disappear - jungle hell, jungle hell, jungle everywhere, it's no fun at all to hide for fear you'll disappear.

Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Feedback may be sent to garthrattray@gmail.com or columns@gleanerjm.com