Jennifer Keane-Dawes, Contributor

KEANE-DAWES

Me dear mam,

Satideh mawning early me reach a dis airport a fareign a wait pon me flight fe tek me to de next place. When, sake a me custom wid me sister dem, we always call fe announce weh we reach. Well granted, de time was six thirty inna de mawning a fareign. Meaning seh it was five thirty a yard when nuff people did still a mek middle night. Well, me call me sista Joan a yard. De phone begin ring a ring a galang Finally, a she dis:

"Hello." Like undercover policeman pon walkie talkie a tip toe like rooster backa tief heel back.

Me: Inna me strang- strang- wake-up-fram-mawning voice. "Jo!"

She: Inna har -a-who-dis voice. "Hello?"

Me: Inna me yu-suppose-fe-know-a-who-me voice. "Jo!!"

She: Inna har explain-yuself voice. "Hello?"

Me: Inna me tired-a-what-a galang-now-voice. "Joan Davis-Williams! A me Jennifer Keane-Dawes!!

She: Inna har mek-me-siddung-up-an wipe-off-me-mout-kanah- voice: Ho! A yu?"

Me: Inna me something-wrang-ya-suh-voice: "Yes, a me same one!"

She: Inna har a-tun-me-did-tun-fool-voice: "Sarry man. Me did tink a de man wid de rope.

Me: Inna me but-a-wah-dis voice: "Man wid rope? Which man? Wid which rope?"

She: Inna har-dis-as-cheap-me-galang-talk-so-so-foolishness-voice: " No, de bus pack man an me finga wrap roun de rope suh me cyaan hold on fe de man draw me up inna de bus ..."

heap a foolishness

My dear lady, when de heap a foolishness done come out a me Teacher a de year sista mout, a nayly dead pon backra plane. For believe you me, de only smady. God rest him soul. Dat coulda did really help me laugh de real kine a way dat mawning, was we pupa weh liddung inna Meadowrest. Anyway, when me dry me yeye water done, me begin reflect pon dis ting weh name dream. Which is no respector of persons. For missis, if truth was to be told, yu believe a lilly politician. Weh siddung inna circle inna neck tie an jacket inna da said Gordon House deh. G'a dem bed a night time an dream so so foolishness? Like how dem under guinep tree root a search fe Anancy yeye glass?

Or how jackass. Wid him mouth full a gold teet. Reverse wid dem one step at a time crass Rio Cobre river? Or how goat a complain how tailor cut him jacket widout pocket? An guess wah? Yu see if some people dream two or three night eena row bout goat, jackass, lizard an such de like? Watch how dem naw go memba de heap a cornmeal dumpling dem did eat de eleven o clock de night. But watch how dem a go run go buy lotto.

no control

Suh me dear mam, as me seh, me come to de conclusion seh, rich or poor, man or ooman. We nuh hab no control ova we dream. But when me begin memba das de purpose a me trip was fe g'a me gran aunty funeral. For she dead a Florida at age 100 an three months. Me seh to meself seh we nuh really hab control ova we dream inna we sleep.

But inna de deepest sleep of death, Pupa Jesus gi all who believe inna Him blessed assurance an control ova de main dream an plan of creation - That the dead in Christ shall rise. An fe dis, we nuh haffi buy nuh lotto. We nuh haffi g'a nuh obeah man. We nuh haffi try figure out nutten. All we haffi do is believe. Suh when we realise seh when we g'a we bed we can dream any amount a foolishness an enjoy we self. An if we nuh wake up we still hab we dream fe see Jesus Christ. Den Missis ma, yu nuh see seh fe we bread butter pon two side?

Tek care.

Dr Jennifer Keane-Dawes is a professor of communication at Elizabeth City State University, a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina System. Send your email to: jkd876@yahoo.com