In my time as a writer of songs and plays and other stuff going back to 1966, I learned always to pay attention to feedback from the public. So after I used a poem in a recent SO IT GO column, I made note of the comment from a friend of mine in Miami, who saw it as something I should do again, hence this offering:
If you’re Guyanese
Lately I must tell you, I am so confused
The online, newspapers, they give me the blues
It coming down steady, like voom voom cheese, bro
You don’t know if to stay or to go.
Left and right is confusion, I must tell you star
As Guyanese, now, you’re not sure who you are.
Okay, you’re right when you say you didn’t ask me
No one tell me do this, on that I agree
But I come talking to you, like long-time company
As Guyanese; hear me, budday.
I come here from India, Africa and from Kent
With a very strong back and a noble intent.
I learned how to manage, I learned to invent
And like so many like me, I just grew.
I come from Madeira and from Birmingham.
I come from Chicago and from Amsterdam.
I helped build the kokers and roads in the land.
I showed them the things I could do.
I learned easy does it, but first have a plan,
Stay quiet and learn from the folks.
I learned to clap roti, Geeta showed me how
And we say “Mister, sell me a Cokes”
I chopped plaintain suckers, I made jamoon wine,
I know jillabee and sweet drink from lime.
I remember the black dust upon the train line
I’m a Guyanese soul through and through.
And all that is me, that is you.
I cut coconuts open and spread them to dry,
I learned to drive tractor, plus wear a necktie
And play like I didn’t see my mother cry.
When they said take a bake, I took two.
And all that’s the same way for you.
Up in the Northwest porkknocking I went.
I learned to make fence with bamboo,
I learned the hard way what good manners meant
And to make pepperpot, very true.
And to eat with my hands…., yes, these two.
I learned pay attention when old people gaff
And a couple, to us, means a few.
Let your daddy lead when the family walk
And glamma cherry’s a powerful glue.
All that I said there, budday, take it, write it down
Get DD Signs print it, please do.
It will help all the young ones who head spinning ’round
If you’re Guyanese, yes that is you.
Hear what I saying, don’t dash it away.
Use pen and ink, pencil won’t do.
I’m predicting it will come in handy one day.
If you’re Guyanese, yes, this is you.
My shoe always shine, my hair always neat
I cut black sage to clean up my teeth.
And now we have oil, some say now trouble start
But some say “Nah. Money now meet!”
My father would tell me, “Band your drawer, boy.
Dis country, it ain’t eatin’ nice.”
But now some o’ we running ’bout like we cockroach
Ignoring that proven advice.
The latest mess now is election story:
We don’t know who lose, who gon clear.
I just nearly say “Go to Russian Bear bar”
But I think that and all disappear.
There once was a time not so long ago
We could run to New York or Toronto.
But now they and all have the virus m’dear,
So we bunking now in Hosororo.
The smart ones among us say, ‘We’ll be all right’
Take time, they will tell you, cool breeze.
So hang in there brother and sister, too, please
We bend but don’t break… Guyanese.
So leh we stan up, cool breeze, ah de roadside,
Or wid we Honda, or we cart.
And remember just as we grumbling now,
How dread GT was when we start?
So yes, every day now some madness deh ’bout,
Sometimes you does stay so and shake.
But remember the fire that we all went through,
We can bend, that’s okay…we don’t break.
So hang in there brother, and sister too, Jeez!
We bend but don’t break… Guyanese
