Where de Public Gone?

 

 

How we gine be a republic

And we en ask de people?

Wuh we frighten ‘bout?

We expecting trouble?

 

I did lying down in my bed

And sudden so I jump up,

De way we doin’ tings dese days

We gine run out o’ luck.

 

If we don’t put in de public

It would only be a Re-

And we leffin’ out de people

So dah’s all it could be.

 

Before sixty-six

We had to bow to de throne

The Queen was we monarch

And Bim din we own.

 

But under Errol Barrow

We decide to get marry,

That meant running we own affairs

Irrespect o’ de Monarchy.

 

De chile had become a man

And he decide to lef’ home,

He tek heself a wife

And he went ‘pon he own.

 

At least dah’s wuh I tought

But he din went ‘pon he own,

‘Cause even doh he did marry

He like he still live home.

 

He din he own boss

‘Cause he mother still hold sway,

Apparently, this was Bim,

Still in de colonial way.

 

 

Well ‘long come Mia Mottley

And she want to brek clean,

So we gine become a Republic

And dismiss de Queen.

 

We gine marry to de people,

De people gine hold de sway

But she en botherin’ to ask dem,

She en gine dah way.

 

So, yuh see wuh I mean

By “where de public gone”?

Wuh, yuh en even start out yet

And yuh lost yuh form.

 

If yuh doan ask de public

Yuh could only be a Re-

‘Cause de public is de people

I hope all yuh see.

 

Sorry fuh de lil bit o’ Trini

But dah’s de influence,

I gine soon shut muh mout

Before dey call me a nuisance.

 

When yuh disregard de public

Yuh gine only left de Re-

And dah gine left yuh wide open

To be a nobody.

 

Re-who? duh gine ask,

Dah could be Trinidad or China,

I know fuh sure

It en likely to be Dominica.

 

So leh we spare a little time

And ask John-public…

But apparently, we don’t intend to

And dah’s why I smell a trick.

 

Stewart Russell © November 13, 2021

 

What Kind of Republic?

 

 

What kind of Republic

Will we be getting?

In which international market

Will we be shopping?

 

A Banana Republic

On a slow boat to China?

Or perhaps, an inflated raft

Making its way to India?

 

An African Republic

As in "to Africa and back"

So that our African heritage

Can be back on track?

 

A Satellite Republic

As the moon is to the sun

Or friends of all

But sucking up to none?

 

Giving sanction to the EU

So, they won’t sanction us

Or just dropping the Monarchy

Without much fuss?

 

 

Becoming a Republic

And then decide what type

Or simply saying to the UK

Go take a hike?

 

When we say Republic

What am I to understand?

Is it just for the sake of change?

Do we have a plan?

 

Is that plan definitive

Or a plan as we go along

Like so-called plans nowadays

That leave us nowhere bound?

 

Will we have any idea

When we arrive there

Or will we be on a fast train

To absolutely nowhere?

 

What kind of Republic

Are we planning to be?

So far all I have been getting is

Let’s wait and see.

 

 

Nothing concrete except…

A plan to plan it afterwards:

Kind of cart before the horse

And going in backwards.

 

A Republic first

Then adjust the Constitution,

To some this sounds like

Rocket science innovation.

 

Marry the notion

And then change afterwards

Kind of cart before the horse

And going in backwards.

 

 

I know I repeated myself

But that’s a Republic repeated,

It’s just the same as before

With a few things tweeted.

 

A no-name change Republic

Still Barbados, no change,

Even as I ruminate on this

It seems rather strange.

 

I know a married woman

That kept her surname,

There was no problem though

His name was the same.

 

But seriously, though,

What kind of Republic?

There should be a conversation

To entertain the critics.

 

Educate the masses first

Explain what kind of Republic,

After, have a referendum;

That should do the trick.

 

 

Let the people have a say

As someone once promised,

That sounds like democracy

If you get my drift. 

 

A people’s Republic

Ah, that sounds kind of great,

We can start the process now,

It is not too late.

 

What kind of Republic?

I must ask myself again

So that at the end of the day

We are not just a name.

 

Stewart Russell © September 11, 2021