My Family

 

 

I know a certain family

That hailed from Branker’s Gap,

They were fed in earnest

On stew food and corn meal pap.

 

Everton was the father

And he married a pretty girl,

Her name is Violet

She is a precious pearl.

 

The children numbered seven

Two are now deceased,

Only girl among the crew

Still batting at the crease.

 

It’s a happy family

Full of love and unity,

Carl, Mac, Mylan and Harriet

Then comes silly me.

 

 

Hear the truth of the matter though,

Stewart is not the craziest,

The one whose name is Mylan

Believe me, he is the real test.

 

Just to look at him

He’d make you split your side,

Struggling for their breath

Some have laughed until they cried.

 

Some of you speak Spanish

And others may have learnt Greek,

Mylan’s tongue is Chinese

You’d crackup if you hear him speak.

 

Brother Carl is the oldest

Like Mylan he lives overseas,

He too can be crazy

But not like Mylan, if you please.

 

What can I say about Harriet?

She’s our sweet and adorable sis,

She is not crazy like the rest

But she is the only one we kiss.

  

I haven’t forgotten Mac

I’ve just left him for the last,

He’s not as crazy as Mylan

But Stewart Mac’s definitely gone past.

 

 

Dad Russell left in two thousand nine

For eighty-seven years death defied,

Mamma Russell stands at eighty-seven now

Having achieved that just this July.

 

At the time of his passing

Just six months shy of six decades,

Almost sixty years of wedded life

They most certainly achieved top grades.

 

Almost five years since that day

We still hold dear his memory

He was a great husband to Mum

And the responsible head of our family

 

Can we ever forget him?

Certainly not even though life continues,

For much of what we do now

Is still influenced by Dad Russell’s views.

 

Let me back up a little bit

To tell you how it was growing up,

Though poor with many mouths to feed

It was not always a bitter cup.

 

 

There were hard times, yes

But the good times far outweighed them,

Dad and Mum Russell never slacked

In providing for their children.

 

Several aunts also came to our aid

Such as Aunts Baby, Clytie and Lou,

Gran-gran Edna in that company also

And with aunts and uncles came cousins too.

 

Share and share alike

Seemed to have been the motto of this group,

And when times got rough

They sure knew how to review and recoup.

 

From my earliest memories

They had taught us how to care,

Nothing was ever too little

That we weren’t encouraged to share.

 

Dad had set the example

On those nights he bought Ruby’s fish,

Even those who were not at home

Would find theirs in their dish.

 

It was never ever the case

That the one who was out should be home,

His share would still be left

And he could eat it on his own.

 

Birthdays were never forgotten

And Christmas for us was a treat,

Always a gift on your birthday

For Christmas: new stuff from head to feet.

 

 

How can I forget our church excursion?

This was usually held in August,

Moving from the Carrington church

Rain fall or sun shine that was always a must.

 

On these special occasions

It was hard to sleep the night before,

We would just lie in bed awake

Anticipating food, fellowship and fun galore.

 

I could also mention

Guy Fawkes on the 5^th of November,

Bandits, bombs, rockets and more

Boy that was a fireworks night to remember.

 

When family visited from the country

They came with produce from their ground

That was another exciting time

On which all of us would gather around.

 

Well seeing I was the youngest

They would poke real fun at me,

I became the butt of their jokes

And they all thought that was funny.

 

 

I grew tired of them from early

And went to live with my aunt in St Andrew,

My hair was red and I spoke differently,

I was named country buck by the home crew.

 

But one day I grew up too

And they couldn’t have it all their way,

They became the objects of my fun

And more often than not I now have my say.

 

I am the sanest of the boys

Not Mac as most of you may think,

But when we get together

We become a crazy four-fold link.

 

Carl migrated in sixty-two

He returned here in two thousand eight,

Mylan came in to join him

Many nights we were up till late.

 

The first time in forty-six years

The five siblings had been together,

We enjoyed every moment of it

It didn’t matter what kind of weather.

 

 

One Friday night in Oistins

Was an absolutely splendid delight,

We ate fish and traverse the town

Like the tourists do on Friday night.

 

The music was ‘licking down’

But we did not care about that,

We were just happy to be together

After forty-six years and that’s a fact.

 

The four wives cannot be left out

Though the lone husband had passed on,

Patrick, I am sure we’ll see him

At that bright and glorious dawn.

 

  

Dad and mum Russell were delighted

To have the clan under one roof,

Reminded of a time many years ago

Talk about a loving family! That’s the proof.

 

Four beautiful wives standing tall,

Lorraine, Avice, Phylis and Lynette,

It’s a joy to be in this family,

So far I can say that I have no regret.

 

And so the years have rolled on

Bringing another two generations,

This could only have happened

Through the siblings and their relations.

 

Many of our loved ones have gone on

Some young, some old, some in between,

They all have made invaluable contributions

To our aspirations, our development, our dream.

 

We thank you God for your blessings on us

Our family and in-laws over whom we fuss,

Give us direction as for you we live.

All praise, honour and glory to you we give!

 

Stewart Russell © 2014