Have We or Have We Not?

 

 

Have we a Constitution?

Please, somebody tell me!

I am longing to hear

From someone in authority.

 

A few lawyers have said

That Barbados has none

And this has been reinforced

By a certain gentleman.

 

He is standing his ground

This certain gentleman

And adamantly refuses to adhere

Even to Court summons.

 

 

Tell me, Dear Attorney General,

What have you to say?

You’ve been rather silent,

Is this your way?

 

If anybody could tell me

That body should be you

But for some unspoken reason

We can’t hear from you.

 

The Chief Justice is another

But this would not be proper

Since the AG is in the position

To settle this matter.

 

 

Madam Prime Minister

Are these lawyers right

That we have no Constitution?

Can you shed some light?

 

Or would you rather be silent

And let the AG speak

Regarding this important matter

That has reached a peak?

 

It is business as usual

In the Parliament and Court

But some think it is not legal

And we are making sport.

 

 

That may be for some

But not for the ones “going up”

For once sentenced by a Judge,

They are out of luck.

 

Parliament is meeting

And still passing laws,

Meanwhile, having no Constitution

Constitute a fundamental flaw.

 

Recipe for anarchy!

That’s a country without law

And if it were so with Barbados

This would be the last straw.

 

So, there must be something

That sustains law and order,

Please, someone in authority,

Tell me I need not bother.

 

 

This terribly loud silence

Is frightening me

And I cannot hear from anybody

In authority.

 

I am checking the tabloids,

The radio and television news

And all day long only hearing

Other people's views.

 

I went with my fastness

And wrote on July 29,

That we still had a Constitution,

Is what I opined.

 

I said I was not a lawyer

By any stretch of the imagination

But like a late PM I was adamant

We had a Constitution.

 

So, Madam Prime Minister,

Or smiling Attorney General,

What is the status of law and order?

Please tell the people.

 

Stewart Russell © August 8, 2023

The First Stone

 

 

Not a foundation stone

Or a corner stone

But the first stone that one throws

In his act to condemn a soul

That acted without his zone.

 

We are the jury

And we are the judge

And we also determine the verdict,

The sentence we must carry out

And only when it’s done, we will quit.

 

 

With a strong bias

And an ethnic prejudice

We decide who is to be stoned

And so, with that, we take careful aim,

For we don’t intend to miss.

 

But to make it all legal

And at least looking right,

We will consult an independent source

So that that first stone can be ours

And we’ll throw it with telling force.

 

But it may be legal

And it may be right

And the first stone may be ours to throw,

But not at the victim we intend

For we might be just as low. 

 

Let him that is without sin

The Master had said,

Let him cast the first stone,

But they envisaged the boomerang effect;

They were all in the hitting zone.

 

With tail between their legs

They did begrudgingly leave,

They were as guilty as she was too,

For only one is without any sin

And it’s neither me nor you.

 

So, if you want

To cast the first stone

Do be prepared to die,

For to stone someone is to stone yourself

And that you can never deny.

 

Stewart Russell © April 2020

The Attempt Is As Good As the Act

“I did not commit the crime,”

I argued, “I only attempted.”

“The attempt is as good as the act,”

Said the judge, “So you cannot be exempted.”

“Two hundred dollars forthwith,

You had better pay the fine

Or a large residence awaits you

Where you will be confined.”

Reaching into my side pocket

I flipped out a number of notes;

Attempting to hand them to the court

I withdrew with the following quote.

  

“I trust you see my genuine act,

That law should work for me;

I attempted to pay the fine

Now you need to set me free.”

“How right you are,” replied the judge,

“I do most certainly agree.

I’ll just count the money first

And then you may go free.”

Stewart Russell © 2015

A Crop-Over Time Is Coming

A crop over time is coming

But ‘twill be a harvest of souls

When the redeemed of all the nations

Will have been gathered in the fold.

Invited by the Holy Spirit

To believe on Jesus Christ

Then cultivated by the Living Word

Saved by his atoning sacrifice.

Years upon years of daily watering

With the sunshine of God’s grace

Each and every believer encouraging

Always to seek God’s face.

Those weeds of sin uprooting

And the bug of unbelief removing,

Bringing the crop to full blooming

With patient and meticulous pruning.

A crop over time is coming

But ‘twill be a harvest of souls

When the redeemed of all the nations

Will have been gathered in the fold.

Heaven’s festival band will be present

With the angels in full attendance

And the harvested wheat of all ages

Will bow in appreciative reverence.

No "Pic-O-De-Crop" kings enthroned,

No "Kadooment - kiddies’ or other wise,

No singing and dancing to Spring Garden,

No skimpy costumes or disguise.

No fore-day morning jump-up

Since there will be no more time,

No Bridgetown Market either

But the saints will be gathered to dine.

A crop over time is coming

But ‘twill be a harvest of souls

When the redeemed of all the nations

Will have been gathered in the fold.

  

There will be no people’s monarch

Only the Monarch of all time,

The One and only God Almighty

‘Twill be the Triune God, the Divine.

Some will want to snigger

And call me a party suppressor

And accuse me of throwing cold water

On Crop-Over fun and laughter.

Well, I stand guilty as accused

But this is light when compared

To that Crop-Over time that is coming

When the King of kings will appear.

The judges there will be different

From those empaneled here

For the judges of our Crop-Over finals

Must before that Judge appear.

No “share-holders” as oft opined,

No favourites and influential intrusion,

Decided even before the dawn of time

And finally brought to a conclusion.

A crop over time is coming

But ‘twill be a harvest of souls

When the redeemed of all the nations

Will have been gathered in the fold.

Our canes are ripe for harvest

When the arrows stick out of their tops

But so is another harvest

Against which the devil plots.

Jesus cautions about that harvest

And invites workers into its fields

Reminding us of that final Crop-Over

When heaven celebrates its yield.

“The harvest truly is plenteous,” he says,

According to Matthew 9 verse 37,

Hence workers now are needed

Before that final Crop-Over in heaven.

Then all the reaping will be over,

The day of harvesting will have passed,

The celebration of the real Crop-Over

Will be in evidence at last.

A crop over time is coming

But ‘twill be a harvest of souls

When the redeemed of all the nations

Will have been gathered in the fold.

Stewart Russell © August 2017