How Come?

 

 

How come we is say,

“I’s go out dey regular”

Rather than “I go out there regularly”

Like an English orator?

 

“I does be in the front row

When I watch cricket

And whenever I go

I does be looking at de wicket.”

 

How come that is not right

And it sound so nice?

Dis English ting dey want me talk

Only causing me strife.

 

Like I is a English man!

I is a bajan

And I proud to be

My faddah an’ muddah son!

 

“I sit in the front row

When I view a cricket game

And whenever I go

I look straight down the wicket.”

 

Dat does sound so strain

Dat it does gih me pain

But I have to learn to speak properly

Wuh is dah he suh again?

 

 

How come we grow up bout hey

An’ we hah speak like dat?

Dat doan make sense to me

An’ dat is my fact!

 

Another ting too:

All o’ we words getting’ change up!

When I tink bout it

I is got ta chupps.

 

De wicket was de three stumps

Now it is de pitch

And now yuh got three slips

Nuttin’ seem to stick.

 

Fuh dem international people

The pitch is de playing field

And de batsmen is now batters,

What a stupid deal!

 

I recall leg breaks and googalies

Now duh got ‘wrong uns’,

A ball could only swing two ways

Dem like dem tink I dumb.

 

And cricket balls growing too

And getting big pun de batsman

And all o’ dis confusing

De bajan cricket fan.

 

 

How come we stan back

An leh dem change up evating?

We wuh hah be stupid like dem

Cause we en tinking.

 

Um en only in cricket

Dem is udder tings too:

Like words we come along hearing

Now dey talking bare boo.

 

I come along hearing ‘dayta’

Now dem Amerkans saying ‘dahta’,

Believe is ‘buhlieve’,

My belly is bust wid de lafta.

 

You could uhmagine dis?

How come it get so?

An’ we got some poor great bajans

Talkin’ like dem, dough!

 

When I buhcome Amerkanize

I gine talk de same way

But as fuh now in de present

Dah caan happen bout hey.

 

We does talk bout ‘building up’

Now I hear it is ‘building out’

And it en on de island nuh more

But on island; mek muh shout!

 

 

 

How come we talkin’ so

Like we lookin’ fuh a identity?

If um en puzzling to you

Um is puzzling to me.

 

I wud rather talk my bajan

Than buhcome a fake,

Cause leh me tell you here and now

Deceitfulness I hate.

 

Funny era we livin’ in

Or should I say funny ‘ehra’

Cause dat is de correct ting now

According to de United states of Amerka.

 

Ask “Gabberts” bout we culture

An’ you wud see wuh I mean,

Doan get more Amercanize

Now dat we get rid o’ de Queen.

 

We practices changing

And we speech changing too

But you see me, I is de same old bajan!

How about you?

 

Stewart Russell © January 24, 2022

 

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