Dr. Jennifer Keane-Dawes, ContributorDear Jamaica,
ME DEAR mam, de other day me a walk crass dis place a foreign an a piece a cowl breeze begin lick me, yeye water come a me yeye. An me dear mam, it neva come dis sake a how de breeze did a blow hard. Dat to. But it come wid de libing bawl when me memba how da said breeze an ice did nayly numb me up to carcass when me did dis lef yard wid me lilly bwoy a me hip an lan inna backra country. An missis ma, smady woulda really deh oneside an hab de heart ask me weh me a bawlfa. But ye who feels it knows it. An if yu cyaan memba weh y'a come fram, nutten weh Pupa Jeezas do fe yu a go full yu yeye.
An me dear mam, after me cloak up de coat to me neck an fly eena backra hawfice wid de yeye water same way. Me couldn't help but shet de door an tenk Massa Gad fe deliverance. An as me mine run pon yu, me seh me a go tell yu seh nuh matter wah plans yu hab a look bout, an nuh matter how sometime it look like tings naw work out, nuh mine. Han de problem to Massa Gad. Ongle memba seh hanning Him de problem alone naw go spell sense. A we Him really want.
Dis like how, fe argiment sake, Vie see truck back een a Pooncie yard an notice seh two man lif off sinting an gone roun a backwidy. De hegs Vie come hegs up roun a back an ask Pooncie if she want nutten outta shap. For she a go out deh. Missis ma, a nuh buy Vie waan buy nutten fe Pooncie? A come she come fe see if a furniture Pooncie really tek out pon top ade lie how de pardner neva start back. Well, a de said way me discover seh Massa Gad work. If we dis gi'm we heart an done, Him wi all fix de problem before dem ketch to we. An when problem solve, just try memba when anybaddy ask we a how we so rosy. Dis seh Jeezas. Cause Him wi bex. Dis like how yu woulda bex an hab up Jabes if, after yu beg an beseech Bringle fe gi Jabes a wuk outta lumber yard. Yu hear Jabes wid yu own aise a tell smady how him get de wuk for him an Bringle a good fren. Suh me dear mam, mek we encourage we one anneda. Suh yu see if yu want put a lilly plan in effect fe de 2003 ya? Believe God an go talk to Him fuss. Nuhbadda go tell de wul worl mek dem go pass remarks an kin teet after yu. Plus nuff a dem bad mine under de quiet. Suh mek we go dung pon we two knee an gi Massa Gad de fuss an bess part a we day. As day light an we puddung we two footbottom a da bed side. Anybaddy weh dawg ketch an a crass question out deh inna de before day. Mek dem tan deh holler fe justice. (Dis mek sure seh de grill lock for me nuh really think Massa Gad a go oblige yu inna him night gown ancome locky fe yu.)
Suh as me seh, nuh mek we go to Him when we hawse tired. Or when sinting frighten we an we mix up Him name wid some impertinent wud. Das why Abel did tun roun kill Cain. Yu memba? Sake a grudgeful. For instead a giving Massa Gad de bess an fattest part a him provision, like Cain. Him did dis run go dig up sinting outta de grung. Maybe two dasheen an a sweet pitata. An han it to God. Fe do wah? Missis, if him did bring de fuss fruit, de Bible woulda si suh. An me nuh blame God. For a nuh lilly bit a hab me did hab up fe me pupa when Sunday after Sunday after Sunday me madda used to. An all now. Still a sacrifice him de bess an fattest part a de chicken. An a neva him did tell Moses fe tek off him boot. Yu get me mam?
Suh mek we talk to God de real kine a way. But mek we dis memba seh if Him nuh gi we weh we ask fa, Him a still God. But me get fe realize seh nuff time Massa Gad woulda ansah we prayaz de way we want. But guess wah? Nuff a we is a set a people weh love talk bout we figive but we naw fegat. Kill we dead, we naw fegat weh so-an so do we. Well we can tan deh. For we coulda tithe, sing loud, an bawl blood a Massa gad foot. Him naw go budge. For we must an boun haffi go to him with a clean heart. Yu get me? Das why between me an yu, weh yu believe woulda happen to me if me neva figive me pupa de heap a chicken leg an breast weh use to line off pon him plate a Sunday day? An weh yu think woulda happen if me neva realize seh, while a neva him did tell Moses fe tek off him boot, a him did wuk an buy ebry one a fe me? Missis, cowl breeze woulda carcass me a foreign longtime.
Tek Care
Dr. Jennifer Keane-Dawes is Director of Graduate Studies at Norfolk State University in Virginia.
