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 5th 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
