Forty-leg, gallawasp an ting – Country Gal A Foreign

Yuh memba when you did lickle a country how sometime you see forty-leg and scorpion an gallawasp and yuh run like when dem put turpentine back a horse? Me tell you man, me did fraid a dem sinting deh. One time scorpion did bite my bredda Frankie, yuh know. Di bway fret, him fret so til him start fi pick out him grave spot. Mama put some camphorated oil pon it an lickle more him a gallop way like horse a Caymanas. From dat day him no walk barefoot again, not even eena yard. Di worse one was di gallawasp. If dat deh bite yuh mek sure yuh ketch a water before it (me nuh know how dat did work but is so dem say).

Anyway, chile, di odda day me tek a trip dung a yard for me haffi dip mi foot dem eena di Caribbean Sea every now an den. Yes, ma, me haffi tek my sea bath for me cyaan figet mi roots. Well, chile, I gallivant an prance. I eat East Indian mango, long mango, guinep, naseberry. When yuh talk bout wash yuh pot an turn it down, dat was me. I was in paradise. Massi, ma, me did figet how my island can sweet. But, hot, ma. Mama always say is di mango draw di heat. But it was a good heat for dere was no humidity.

Well, mi dear, me was having fun meeting an greeting all a di peoples a Guinep Hill. It was a reunion like no odda. All who have grandkids (is so dem call dem) and who gawn a Foreign. Some people me nuh recognize but dem know me. Dem show one lickle bit a Festival pon TV you woulda nevah believe is Festival time. For me memba when every minute you see Festival song come on til you know dem by heart and all dem pickney a dance and sing an recite. Tings an time change fi true. Well, chile afta all di fun done an me feel di tears a come to mi eye dem for me must once again leave mi bornland, me say good bye to one an all.

Massi, ma, me get up di mawning early fore cock crow an turn on di light when me feel sinting sting me. When me look, is a helluva forty leg dat me go step pon. Whoai, Ambro spring, Ambro jump. I coulda win Olympics dat deh mawning. In all mi born days is di fus me feel pain like a dat. An all through di airport me dis a wobble like a ol ooman so for me foot it swell like a paint pan. Supposing me was trying to find a young man in transit, sah?

Anyway, chile, it was good to see di homeland again. Oonu mussen forsake it, you know, especially eena dis Independence season when we can be proud of our strength and tenacity (big wud, ma). No, man, we cyaan figet wi born land, even eena dis yah Foreign.