Yuh memba when yuh use to go a school an every time yuh bring up yuh work to teacher she mark ‘Seen’ pon it? Me nevah know wha dat mean but me tink it mus be good for everybody get ‘Seen’. An when dem Rasta bway come out wid ‘Seen’ me tink seh teacha mus did have Rasta mind long time for a she start wid dis ‘Seen’ business.
But, yuh know, me did tink seh a only eena fi mi district dem use certain word. Chile, since me come a Foreign, me hear dem foreign people a lick some wud wha me use to laugh afta. Me memba when Miss Joyce use to look ova fence an say to mama: “Everyting copasetic ova dere, Miss Mavis?”
An mama use to say: “Everyting is copasetic, Miss Joyce.”
Missis, me use to laugh afta dem for me did tink seh a mek-up wud. No, please. Di odda day me was watching TV when me hear a foreign policeman ask eena him radio: “Is everything copasetic?”
Chile, ah kick ova done. I was amazed. For me memba Mass Angus who did lef him wife an two pickney a country, say him gawn a town fi look betta life. Few month pass an nobody no hear nuttin from him. Lo an behold, one day, who turn up but Mass Angus di wanderer. Him stagga pass Missa Chin shop til him reach di ol house where poor Miss Maud an di hungry belly pickney dem siddung unda mango tree a pray fi mango drop. An Mass Angus lean up pon di gate.
“Everyting copasetic ova dere, Maud?”
Poor Miss Maud was so amazed, har mout drop open an she was speechless. An him mussi did tink seh silence mean consent, for him wheel about an stagga right back outa di district. Chile, when ah hear di foreign policeman say di wud, ah reach fi Missa Webster an dere it was copasetic or copacetic. It mean superb, excellent. Who say country people foo-fool? We is a very intelligent people, aho. For doah dem gwaan like we foo-fool an backward, mek me tell you someting, di simplest a country man can argue wid any Prime Minister or President. Tell yuh di truth, di only foo-fool country man me did know was Mass Silly as in Silvanus.
One day mama go ask him fi ketch two fowl an afta him grab one, mama say, “Ketch di odda one now, Mass Silly,” him puddung di one him already ketch an gawn afta di odda one. Dat was not copasetic at all. Yuh know someting, Foreign not so foreign, yuh know.
