Jennifer Keane-Dawes, Gleaner Writer

KEANE-DAWES

Me dear mam,

Fram me a lilly pickney till now, me granny an me madda always seh hard aise pickney bite rack stone. An a nuh lie. Because sometime de very ting y'a try save dem fram. A de very ting dem insist fe do. An en up a put yu inna so-so worries.

Like me when me was a lilly pickney an me madda sen me g'a country up a Flint River fe spen holiday wid me granny. Me dear mam, Mammie, as we used to call me granny, sen me up a dis hill fe go look fe me next set a cousin. An she tell me plain an straight, walk pon de bankin an do not leggo me bigger cousin han.

Well, we climb de hill. Like any Mt. Everest. Till we ketch up a de very top weh de house siddung pon a lilly pinnacle. An as me cousin coulda wipe har foot pon de crocus bag mat a de doorway. An seh good heveling. Me now, buss weh me han an tek off roun de yard like ram goat. Well me dear mam, me nuh memba if me did tell yu.

But, a nayly two week later das smady did haffi try memba me seh me name Jennifer. After me drap offa de helleba precipice. Dung pon de asphalt road. Dead like cockroach. But breath still a blow. While dis North Star country bus driver. Well tun de horn inna one piece a guitar music: "A-pretty-gal-me-want.

A pretty-gal-me-want. Tell-all-dumb-ting-a-pretty-gal-me-want " A buss come now, wid higgler fass asleep mongst dem dry coconut an apron. Fe finish me off pon government highway. Massy. Missis yu tink a lilly bit a sinting me go through?

home remedy

Well, fram dem deh day me know seh Pupa Jesus a kip me. For a prayer vigil an home remedy bring me back. An a after me gain consciousness an everybaddy inna me granny room weh did look like matches stick to me tek shape an tun smady. An me realize seh me madda was one a dem. Das me hear how a sight de driver sight me.

Stop de bus right een time. An holler up to de hill fe de people dem come dung. Suh me know full well seh hard aise pickney bite rackstone. But weh yu haffi seh bout dem big smady a Texas de other day? Weh government an official beg dem hard fe evacuate de area for Hurricane IKE a come? Weh yu believe de news seh nuffi a de big smady dem do? After dem well see how Hurricane Katrina tek people house an tun dem eena Noah Ark. Dem decide seh dem a go stay an "ride out de storm".

Suh me understand she from IKE lan. An start bring een flood water. Couple a dem weh did refuse fe lef start call 911 Emergency fe smady come rescue dem. Yu nuh see she dem spiteful? Suh when me see how de Coast Guard people dem haffi stay up eena de helicopter. Inna de hurricane. Fe let dung equipment like upside dung umbrella fe pick dem up fram de sea water weh a gillup after dem.

A cyan begin fe tell yu how a cuss to meself. An tun roun beg Massa God pardon fe me prayaz seh de rope shoulda dis buss. For all dem decide fe do is fe put other people life inna danger. Suh me dear mam, me seh all dis fe seh we need fe be considerate. An if yu hard a hearing, de ting fe do is get a hearing aid. Wear it a day time. An teky out when night come after yu done hear everybaddy binnis under de quiet.

Tek care!

Dr Jennifer Keane-Dawes has been appointed Interim Dean of the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, a constituent institution of the University of Maryland System. Send your email to: jkd876@yahoo.com.