Worshippers greet one another at the Kingston Waterfront.

There shall be widespread weeping and moaning among all non-believers on the day when the Good Lord makes his grand return to take his people to heaven. So, to make sure that they aren't among the woeful few left behind, a small number of believers have congregated at the Kingston Waterfront to sing praises to the Lord and sound a warning to all heathens that the day of reckoning is near.

"And so it shall be on that day!" shouted a tall, white-gown-wearing man with a square head. He was holding a Bible in his right hand, and gesticulating wildly with the other. "Amen!" shouted the others. "That all those who are pure-hearted and clean in spirit shall be called by His name!"

The man was shouting now, and dancing around, while his fellow worshippers, though few in number, were getting fired up. It was dusk at the waterfront and the nearby sea was choppy. As light faded, seagulls circled overhead and lovers were entangled in each other's arms only a few feet away. A couple of them seemed annoyed by the shouting of the lead worshipper.

"So let them stay there with their fornication and their life of sin and hatred, for when that day come, they will be sorry!" the man in the gown shouted. This particular comment seemed to raise the ire of a nearby couple. The man and woman were sitting on a grassy area nearby, getting acquainted with each other's body parts, when this chiding remark interrupted them. "Cho, come mek wi move, yuh hear, for mi nuh know ah wah do dem," said the man, annoyed. The couple got up and walked over to another spot on the grass, further away.

"Is alright! Run, but there will come a day when you can run no more," the lead worshipper said. He wasn't shouting anymore.

PEANUT PEDDLER

Across the street, I noticed a peanut vendor pushing a cart with wheels and what looked like a kettle on it. The kettle was making a whistling noise. He was a skinny, dreadlocked fellow with dark skin and shifty eyes. He was watching the gathering closely, so I asked him about it. "Well, yuh know, dem come out here more time come hold dem likkle worship and do dem likkle ting. Is just so di ting go," said the peanut vendor who gave his name as Clive. As far as I could tell, Clive had no teeth, and while he was speaking to me, I was wondering how or if he could eat the very products he was peddling. I chose not to question him on this, but I did ask him why he didn't join the group. "Me? I is a Rastaman! I only come here come look a likkle hustling!" I made a remark about his unbiased approach to making money, to which his response was a simple: "Whether Christian or Rastaman, di whole a wi haffi eat!" Enough said.

JOINING IN

I didn't want to disturb the worship, so I quietly crept up to the gathering and stood at the back to listen to what the man in the white gown was saying. And what I heard was not encouraging. "Yes, my friends, the end of times is near!" the man shouted. "Oh yes!" the crowd responded in unison. "So make sure your house is in order and prepare your hearts to meet your Maker. It is just a matter of time now, before all of this will be at an end!" the man continued. I looked across at the setting sun and wondered if my days were indeed numbered. It's funny how a sunset loses its beauty when you realise it could be your last. "There shall be great tribulation upon the Earth and the evil will fight among themselves," the man continued. I got a picture in my mind of people fighting with sticks and I snickered to myself in what I thought was the seclusion of my space at the back of the group. I was interrupted though, only a couple seconds later. "You there in the back!" I heard the man say. "Er ... me?" I asked, suddenly sobering up. "Yes, man! You in the back, come up to the front and be blessed!" the man said. My face felt hot as the entire group turned to look me over. "Oh, I was just ... ah ... I," was the best I could think to say, before a rotund woman, wearing a head wrap, pushed me to the front. "Go man!" she said.

CENTRE OF ATTENTION

Suddenly, in the middle of the action that I was much more comfortable watching from afar, I felt uncomfortable. "Welcome, my brother," the man said. I thanked him and was about to turn to leave when, without warning, the man flung his arms around me. "Welcome and be blessed by the Word of the Lord!" he said, while the others cheered. When that uncomfortable encounter finally came to an end, I made a quick return to the back of the group, where I turned to see Clive the peanut vendor across the road rocking with toothless laughter at my expense. "Yuh should do like mi! Just henka 'round! Nuh get too close! Tee hee!" he chuckled.

robert.lalah@gleanerjm.com

Evening worship is a daily event at the Kingston Waterfront. - photos by Robert Lalah