The People Have Spoken

 

 

 

The people have spoken

It is thirty-love again!

It is not the outcome I wanted

And it causes me pain.

 

It gives me a numb feeling

That I cannot explain

But I know that in 2018

I felt the same.

 

It’s not good for democracy

Though you might not agree

But I do believe in Parliament

An opposition is necessary.

 

 

It is like playing draughts

Without an opponent,

You will win the imaginary contest

In any event.

 

Who will put the other side

When the Parliament meets?

Where will be the cut and thrust

As the MPs speak?

 

“The people’s Parliament!”

I hear your loud report

But that carries a hollow sound

Like you are making sport.

 

And in the Senate

How will that be formed?

Will there be nineteen members

Instead of the twenty-one?

 

 

One man came to the rescue

The first time this happened

And we ended up

With a one-man opposition.

 

There was one in the Lower House

And two in the Upper,

It is likely this time around

To be a different matter.

 

I did not like it the first time

And I do not like it now

But the people have spoken

And to their say I bow.

 

 

The people have spoken,

The results speak loud and clear,

It is thirty-love again

In elections free and fair.

 

Whatever our choice

We must abide by the rules

And in the interest of Barbados

Be building tools.

 

Build up not pull down!

Work not shirk!

In the interest of our fair nation

To the work, to the work!

 

There is much to be done

And hard decisions to make,

Let’s put our hands to the plough

And work for Barbados’ sake.

 

Let us build a Barbados

For our children’s children

With Almighty God as our guide,

The help of our Nation.

 

Stewart Russell © January 20, 2022

 

Let Us Move On

 

The people have spoken

Let us move on

Time for the work

There’s much to be done

There have been losers

There have been winners

But both together 

Can ensure the hope that glimmers

A light in the distance

Beckons to us

Let us move on

With renewed thrust

Divided for a while

For the party’s cause

Now as we go forward 

Put that on pause

Three weeks of canvassing

Doing the political stuff

Now let Barbados our country

Be our focus

Let us move on

Together as one

Let us grab this opportunity

Walking into the new dawn

For at the end of the day

We are really all “B’s”

That is “B” for Barbados

As we all ought to be

The voting may have varied

But the cause is the same

I expect your vote was given 

In our country’s name

So whether of “B” or “D”

Solutions Barbados or UPP

Let us join hands together

And support our great country

  

The fallout at this moment

Was only meant for a while

Let’s gather our wits about us 

And move on with a smile

Cognizant of the fact

That Barbadians all are we

And to achieve the common goal

Requires there be unity

We can rise from the ashes

In true bajan style

And with focused resilience

Cut down the miles

The objective before us 

May appear far and long

But like sticks in a bundle

We all can be strong

 With God in our hearts

And with guidance from above

We can march to the challenge

All in one love

There may be damaged pride

That’s nothing new

Let us put that behind us

And see Barbados through

No time for gloating

That is immature

Scorning a fellow Barbadian

Is courting failure for sure

Learning the lessons

We can take from the past

And like true Barbadians

Bend our backs to the task

The task of rebuilding

Anything that’s been razed

Means viewing the present reality

As a temporary phase

Not living in the past

But utilizing the present

In the best way possible

To signal positive intent

Not just empty rhetoric

But in behavior befitting our age

Let us move on my brothers and sisters

Showing we are on the same page

Stewart Russell © May 2018