Dr Jennifer Keane-Dawes, Gleaner Writer

KEANE-DAWES

Me dear mam:

De other day me had was fe pack up me corouches inna truck an move fram one state a fareign to de next. Well, since me neva waan nuh baddy go capture de coobicle weh me did still a pay mortgage fa, me get a real estate company fe try rent it. Well, me mek it plain an straight seh no dawg. For dawg, siddung up eena settee a watch TV, or wid four foot kibba under sheet inna double bed. Like him deh a spa. Is not a ting weh me use to. Well anyway, bout one month after me still had was fe pay fe de empty house for nubaddy neva move een yet, me get de long awaited call seh de place rent. Suh wid teet a skin me get de understanding seh is a retired couple.

But my dear lady, de day de people fe move een, me call de company fe please go ova de fine print seh, by hawda, no dawg. Well, de company ooman mek me know seh no dawg. But dem hab six pickney. Jeezas wept an wet up Peter crep! Missis, all kine a but-a-wah-dis-me-get-meself-eena tawt begin tek me. How dis? Six pickney? Fe go weh? Nuh mash de heap a backra pickney a go come mash up me house now man? How dis? Well, it look like de dawg me did siddung oneside a fret pon gone bout fe him binnis long time an lef me to de fine print. For, all de read me did read an a sign like juice, me neva ketch de part seh me cyan discriminate. An das backra law liddung how much smady to a bed room.

me prayers

Well me dear mam, between yu, me an de door post, a woulda neva tell yu a lie. Das, before de ooman coulda outline de law to me, de Holy Spirit done convict me long time wid: "What happened to you when you were a child?" An me dear mam, wid de long yeye water an nubaddy naw beat me. Me go dung pon me two knee a me bedside an ask Massa God fe pardon. Fe hear me prayers fe de fambily. Fe bless dem an mek dem confortable inna de house till dem coulda fine a place fe demself. For me dear mam, just like a movie screen, Pupa Jesus begin play back some a de scenes a me life. How, when me an me bredda an sister dem little. An we parents used to rent house because dem neva own a place fe demself dat time. A nuh little bit a shame we used to feel when landowner tun we weh fram de house wid cardboard sign weh seh "No children." An after Massa God kip we suh we coulda still happy an play "Room for rent apply within. When I run out then you run in." How muss me now tun roun an serve de pickney dem de same sauce?

live an learn

Me dear mam, de more yu live a de more yu learn fe read Massa God handwriting. For, how me fe explain seh de six pickney weh me kneel dung an pray fa, me fine out next day seh dem name after six smady inna de Bible? Or, who did fe explain to we madda when day light. How nayly three quarter a de sweet potato pudden gone. An none a we couldn't tell, cause we did fass asleep?

Tek care!

p.s: Thanks fe de condolence. But Yvonne Keane-Dawes was not me madda. She an' nurse Winsome Keane-Dawes used to be mi prefect at St Jago when she was Yvonne Case, Winsome was Cummings, an me was Jennifer Davis.

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.