The poem “Sammy Intres” written by Miss Lou (Louise Simone Bennett-Coverley OM, OJ, MBE) can be found in her book Aunty Roachy Seh
Ah glad fi see yuh, Miss Della –
Step right inside, me dear.
Me dah study Sammy intres
An yuh jus in time fi hear.
Me was talkin to Sam teacher
Todder day right at dis door,
An she seh she tink ah should study
Me pickney intres more.
Him interested in dis ting yah,
For him learn it off by heart;
So me write it out fi study it
Me jus benna go start.
De shades of night was fallin fast
As o’er – yuh hear me cross?
Sam teck exam an not ev’en –
An Alpine village pass.
A youth who bore mid snow an ice
– Not even one wud bout –
A banner wid de strange device –
When results gwine come out.
Excelsior! His brow was sad –
Ef him pass – his eye beneath –
Teacher seh nex year him wi teck –
A falcon from its sheat!
Den ow is fi-yuh lickle gal?
Me hear har – clarion rung –
Me hear har singing wid – de accent
Of dat unknown tongue.
Excelsior! Tap, me lef out
One whole a line, yuh know!
Me dah go tear i up, Missis,
An fling i outa door!
Pop tory gimme, Della – all
De labrish from yuh yard.
Me cyaan study pickney intres
Ef a so it a go hard.
New Scholar
Good mahnin, Teacher – ow is yuh?
My name is Sarah Pool.
Dis is fi-me li bwoy Michal
An me just bring him a school.
Him bawn one rainy days ma’am, it
Was comin awn to night –
Ugly baby grow pretty fi true,
For dis one was a sight.
Him bawn de week when Rufus
Jack-fruit tree did start fi bear,
Is dat same mont Oby pig dead
– But me figat de year.
We call him Mi, Mike, Mikey,
Jay, Jakey, Jacob, Jack,
But him right name is Michal Jacob
Alexander Black.
No treat him roughs yaw, Teacher;
Him is a sickly chile:
As yuh touch him hard him meck nize –
Some people seh him pwile.
Teck time wid him, yaw, Teacher –
If him rude an start fi rave
Dis beat anodder bwoy, an him
Wi frighten an behave.
For nuff time when him rude a yard
An woan hear me at all
Ah just beat de bed-poas hard, mah,
An yuh waan fi hear Jack bawl!
Now dat yuh know him lickle ways
Ah not havin no fear
Dat anyting wi mel him, so
Ah lef him in yuh care.
‘PUPPA, ME GO A KINGSTON’
Partin
Me goin now; come kiss me, Jim.
Sal, yuh got everyting?
Sam, shake me hang train soon move now
When dat-deh sinting ring.
Tell Puppa plenty howdy. Teck
De grip outa yuh lap.
Look after piggy good an sen
Come tell me when she drop.
Tell Fan me tenk her fi de pork,
Doah it did lickle touch.
Lick Rena pon har mout an ask
Her ‘meck she chat so much?’
Teck everyting safe, doan nyam out
De pickney-dem candy.
Kiss Lucy, and tell Vie fi name
Her cow-calf after me.
De bell a ring again, few minutes
More an oonoo gawn!
Jim, yuh mus get a drapes trousiz
Like what dah man have awn.
See de marga man what holin han
Wid de nice fat lady
– She mussa feel like she dah hole
A mirasmi baby!
De man work dung a railway yah,
Me see him all de while,
Him hitch up anywhe him see
A nice good-lookin chile.
Him drapes dah meck me laugh, but it
Dah meck him look improve,
It meck him hip look fat out, an –
Lawd oh, de train a move!
Safe drive home, teck care a yuhself!
Tell Mimi ah wi write!
Kiss Tayma. Tell John howdy, do!
Haul een yuh head, awright!
Country Bwoy
Me no like tung at all, at all!
Me no gwine go back deh.
De one no mo week me spen deh
Me meet crosses, eh-eh!
One day me walk dung King Street, an
Me go eena one store
– Me tink dem call i ‘Enterprise’
But me is not so sure.
Me tan up tan up bout de place
Look pon everyting
Tell me see one oman queeze sinting
And me hear de sinting ring.
Me-see one doorway open, de
Oman go tru de door.
Me ax one man a whe she gawn
An him seh up Five Prize Store.
Me tink to meself ‘Ah doan know
Whe Five Prize deh, but tan!
Ef de sinting cya har deh, it can
Cya me a foreign lan.’
Me member Lou whe gawn a sea
From me was a li bwoy
– Ah seh ‘Ah gwine go look fi har’
An me heart full up wid joy.
Me put me han pon de button,
De door open wid ease,
Me step een an seh to de man
‘Stap me at Cuba, please.’
De man meck up him face dis lacka
When it set fi rain me tink
So tun roun ax me ef me tink
Me eena aeroplane.
De ting start moves me feel like me
Drink bout twelve glass a beer,
Ah never know meself so-tell
De man seh ‘Come out here’.
Ah step eena one pretty place.
Ah nearly drop a grung
When ah see de straight-hair ladies
Jus walking up an dung.
One pretty gal step up so she
‘What can I do for you?’
Hear me: ‘Dis is Cuba, I presume.
Ah waan see Cousin Lou.’
De gal bus out a laugh an she
‘You’redizzy from de ride.
You’re from de country? Oh, poor ting!
Jus step aroun dis side.’
She show me some step so seh ‘Don’t
Ride on de lif no more.’
Me go dung forty step, an lan
Same place back eena de store.
Me pass boot, hat an claht, me go
Een an come outa door,
But all de tun me tun an twis
Me still eena de store.
Massa, me get eena temper,
Ah teck a oat an seh
Ah doan like tung at all at all
An ah hooden gu back deh.
