59 and Counting

 

 

My name is Bim

I’ve a birthday coming up,

For fifty-nine years I would say

I’ve had a mixed cup.

 

59 Independent years

Since that night in ’66,

With PM Errol Barrow I thought

All would be fixed.

 

In Nineteen-Seventy-Six

He was voted out

And with the change to PM Adams

I was having doubts.

 

But PM Adams did well,

The Opposition on his heel

And I continued to truly flourish

Moving on with speed.

 

But very suddenly,

PM Adams passed away

And I must confess for me and others

That was a very sad day.

 

PM St. John took over

And his stay was very short,

Due to a rejuvenated Errol Barrow

That made St. John snort.

 

Barrow followed Tom Adams

In the land of no PM’s

And I was thrown into mourning again

Almost without end.

 

Erskine, the Educator,

Took over from PM Barrow

But confusion occurred in the DLP

Making them shallow.

 

A leadership contention

Led to a no-confidence

And the motion headed by Owen Arthur

Led to an election event.

 

Enter PM Owen Arthur

A mix of Errol and Tom,

A leader in the regional movement

Making me feel warm.

 

 

 

With a spring in my step

I surged forward again

Where before it had seemed to many

I had become lame.

 

Under Arthur’s leadership

I was doing very well,

Three terms he was Prime Minister

And I truly excelled.

 

Three PMs died in office,

PM Thompson was the third,

PM Stuart took over from Thompson;

To him the others deferred.

 

Thrice in my history

I have had caretaker PMs,

Namely: Sandiford, St. John and Stuart,

S’s all attend.

 

Stuart gave way to Mottley

Who loomed very large,

With two thirty-love mandates,

She is definitely in charge.

 

 

 

Her major challenge to-date

Was the Corona Virus,

COVID-19 was its nomenclature

And it was very tough.

 

Curfews were imposed

Along with working on line

And with every waking moment,

COVID filled the mind.

 

PM Mottley did well

And alleviated my fears,

I even accommodated some Trinis

Who were in despair.

 

I gave safe harbour

To some tourist ships

Since nobody else was inclined

To offer it.

 

A snap election was called

While still in COVID

And while it baffled me intensely

It was another thirty-nil.

 

Independence in 1966

Republic in 2022,

And I have come a very long way

But still much to do.

 

 

 

My 1^st President’s tenure

Is coming to an end,

I thank God for her stewardship;

She’s a faithful friend.

 

Four years almost past

Are fleetingly like one,

She is royalty with a common touch;

It’ll hurt to see her gone.

 

Fare ye well, Dame Sandra,

When your term is done,

Like PM Barrow, you were the first

And this none can outrun.

 

I have weathered storms

Of varying kinds

And currently widespread reform

Is uppermost on my mind.

 

Same old, same old

Under the guise of reform

But the truth be told as I, Bim, see,

Talk is still the norm.

 

 

59 and counting

Though not quite there yet,

Looking forward to anniversary #60

Hoping my needs are met. 

 

Economic stability,

Education and social needs,

Moral and spiritual reclamation

And doing noble deeds.

 

Raising up my children

In the fear of the Lord

And reestablishing across my schools

His Holy Word.

 

 

 

Just a note from Bim

To restore my former beauty

And to every Bajan here and abroad,

This is your civic duty.

 

Stewart Russell © November 18, 2025

 

 

 

Whither the Constitution?

 

 

Where the Constitution gone

That was promised in 2022?

I recall it was before the General Election

And almost four years due.

 

From a colony to a Nation,

From a Nation to a Republic

But regarding the Republic Constitution,

We have let that slip.

 

“The cart before the horse”

Is what we said back then

But little attention was paid to this

And hence, this problem.

 

All and sundry had agreed

A Constitution was necessary:

The Democratic Labour Party, the PM

And the governing BLP.

 

But it would wait until after

The election that was to come

When Barbados would become a Republic

Aka the BLP kingdom.

 

For what else would it be

Having won all thirty seats?

This, for the second time in succession;

Wasn’t that neat?

 

An election promise:

The PM had given her word

And all like now after almost four years

It is still deferred.

 

Hence, the question I ask,

Where the Constitution gone?

Is there really a need for a new Constitution

Or can we keep the old one?

 

Regarding the General Elections

There was extraordinary haste,

It appeared that the manifesto promises

Were all executed with pace.

 

Was only three and a half years

And another election was called

With just a couple weeks for canvassing

And that was all.

 

Was one and a half years

Not enough time, I ask,

To commence working on the Constitution

And complete the task?

 

Apparently not, it seems,

Given the time they have been at it

So much so, while talking to myself,

I wonder if they quit.

 

For weeks on end

One hears absolutely nothing

And then suddenly out of the clear blue

A bell would ring.

 

Another deadline given,

Another deadline would pass

And yet again, the anticipated Constitution

Would be stuck fast.

 

Reminds me of documents

Stuck in somebody’s desk

And then finally ending up in file 13;

Oh, what a mess!

 

But such would never happen

To the Republic Constitution

Given the calibre of individuals sitting

On this Commission.

 

In the light of all this,

Where the Constitution gone?

Will we wait till after General Elections

To shelve the old one.

 

Is the task too difficult

For these persons of renown?

Do they think we should continue to operate

Under the Crown...

 

Thinking an old Constitution

Is better than no Constitution

Bearing in mind there are still remnants

Of the English Constitution?

 

Is integrity legislation

Included in the new Constitution

And could this be one of the obstacles

To finding a solution?

 

What an uproar, I hear!

What kind of fool would I be

To even imagine such silly tomfoolery

Re the ruling party?

 

So, where the Constitution gone?

It’s been a long time coming,

It is almost like having a fretless guitar

And vigorously strumming.

 

 

 

A new mandate, I heard,

Was why Election 2022 was called

But after the Republic pomp and pageantry

The Constitution is stalled.

 

One individual even stated

Barbados has no Constitution

And that they did not have to pay attention

To any legal adjudication.

 

So, you see why I must ask

Where the Constitution gone

And make a desperate call to the PM

To quickly enact a new one?

 

Enact the new Constitution

Before the Republic gets old

For as far as I and many are perceiving,

The Republic brand is cold.

 

So far, it is purely cosmetic:

Rebranding with just a name

And it is full time we move the State’s Ship

Into the republic’s lane.

 

If only we could reverse

We’d put the Constitution first

For right now Barbados is an orchestra

Playing unrehearsed.

 

Wither the Constitution?

Not a man would answer me,

Maybe I am thinking of the Attorney General

Instead of PM Mia Mottley.

 

Stewart Russell © November 11, 2025

 

What are the Odds?

 

 

Imagine a carpenter

Teaching a fisherman to fish

Why, that would be like Aladdin

Granting the genie a wish.

 

How could a lawyer

Teach a doctor medicine?

Or, how would an elephant

Teach a human to sing?

 

By way of a vote

In a General Elections

Professionals are advised

By politicians.

 

 

Selected to a Cabinet

By the sitting PM,

Their suddenly acquired expertise

Cause many a problem.

 

So, imagine a carpenter

Teaching fishermen to fish,

In plain Barbadian parlance

We would say “yuh wish”.

 

“He gaw be dreaming”

Or “he out in the sun too long”

Cause he definitely behaving

Like he is a circus clown.

 

What if I could identify

This “circus clown” for you,

Would you swallow your pride

And back down?

 

 

Well, it’s a historic fact

Most of you know about,

Some fishermen went out fishing

And no fish came out.

 

They must’ve been hiding

Cause they caught not one,

Maybe they fished so extensively

That all were gone.

 

A carpenter turned up

And told them what to do

But it did not measure up

To what they knew.

 

But to prove him wrong

They follow his command

Then they had to call out to others

To give them a hand.

 

The nets almost broke

With the weight of the catch,

And then the fishermen discovered

None was his match.

 

 

It was Jesus, the Christ

That created the fish

So, he did not have to close eyes

Then make a wish.

 

Much more than that

They became fishers of men,

It was the carpenter of Nazareth

That taught all of them.

 

More than a carpenter

More than a fisherman,

Jesus is the ever-living Word,

Aka, God’s begotten Son.

 

Stewart Russell © February 27, 2025

 

Making Sense of Nonsense 2

 

 

Three and one-half years in

A general election was called,

As far as I can see, fellow Barbadians,

This must have taken some gall.

 

I assume that the tendency is

To map out a five-year course

But I guess all the goals were achieved

So, a new mandate was enforced.

 

It will be five years this month

Since the 2018 election

But we are in the 2^nd year of a 2^nd term

And seemingly without a reason.

 

Why was an election called

With about a year and a half to go?

Madam Prime Minister of Barbados,

I surely would like to know.

 

You see, Madam PM,

Of this nonsense I am trying to make sense

And I must confess, Madam PM,

I genuinely mean no offense.

 

I know COVID-19 arose

And this was quite unexpectedly

And you had little or no wriggle room

But to decree an emergency.

 

This is why while still in COVID

I just could not understand

Why you would call an election, Madam PM,

In the midst of an emergency plan.

 

Were you scared of something else

Besides the COVID pandemic

Or was this another strategic move

So prevalent in politics?

 

Given your own policy, Madam PM

To always keep us well informed,

I must admit this one was quite a baffling

Departure from your norm.

 

I had heard some rumours

Which back then, I refused to believe

About some within your party

Questioning your right to lead.

 

To me that was such nonsense

That I dismissed it right away

Since you are an advocate for transparency

As I have heard you say.

 

And that is the reason why

Like Lieutenant Columbo I have been baffled,

Trying to make sense of that nonsense

Has been a humongous struggle.

 

Perhaps you could ease my discomfort

And simply tell me the reason why

But I do not intend to hold my breath

For this is the surest way to die.

 

 

 

And I would like to live

For one day the reason will come out

When I will make sense of this nonsense

And that is without a doubt.

 

Stewart Russell © May 3, 2023

 

In Action and Inaction

 

 

 

In action and inaction

Same thing? You think?

Try looking again

And this time try not to blink.

 

In action and inaction

Same spelling, same sound

But there is a break involved;

We’re coming around.

 

People are the constant

And also, the variable,

However, we swing

They aim at people.

 

People take a break

They can’t always work

However, inaction in this case

Is not what we call inert.

No break in the action

Is said to be in action

But when the break appears,

This is called inaction.

 

In action and inaction

Take the West Indies for instance,

They've become so used to losing

There is little resistance.

 

 

Almost void of action,

In fact, sometimes none at all,

Therefore, I have no choice:

Their inaction I appall.

 

Now take the COVID fight

This is action non-stop!

The PM directs her generals

And others in this plot.

 

Inaction and in action

Can sometimes be the same:

Like Caswell Franklyn and his union

That some call insane.

 

Strike action is on!

In a sense this is inaction,

In another sense it is the opposite:

The strikers are in action.

 

 

Action has begun

Regarding the coming Election

Parliament is prorogued:

It is no longer in action.

 

Note the interplay

That occurs between these two:

Similar and yet so different,

Depending on the view.

 

Strike action is inaction

But it is also the action

To force a desirable outcome

To the nurses’ satisfaction.

 

Election is the PM’s call

To address a perceived inaction

And hence, in the coming days,

Candidates will be in action.

 

Whether inaction or in action

Both relate to a cause

And to determine which and when,

It is important that we pause.

 

 

 

 Pause for consideration,

Pause for contemplation,

Then take the necessary action:

In action or inaction.

 

Stewart Russell © December 31, 2021