KEANE-DAWES

Me dear mam:

Mek me mind me mannas fuss an seh thanks fe start sponsor a pickney from dung a Riverton City fe g'a de Jasy Camp. God bless oonoo. For is a community of good citizens we a build.

Well, ole time people hab a wud fe seh "one-one co-co full basket." Meaning, seh, a towzin mile begin wid a single step. Well, me did come to yu wid a empty basket. An right now me hab five co-co inna it. Plus meself, mek six. An de co-co is Celestine Davis, otherwise known as me madda; Rev. Paul Pinto from St John's United Church; James McBean, a yardie from John's Hopkins University; an two nice people name Ashrath Francis an Tetyana Nembhard.

An since me done know seh anything Massa God start, Him a go finish it, me a wait. An me a rejoice ova de pot weh deh pon fire. For more co-co, whether whole a one, half, quarter, one lilly slice, or even piece a skin, a go come een. Just call Mr. Worrell Hibbert a yard at 876-937-1891. Or go to www.JASY.info.

Stick a pin

But stick a pin. A me go talk bout co-co. Last week satideh me g'a dis Haitian store near me. Weh sell all kine a Jamaican food. Green banana, pumpkin, an such de like. Well, after me buy dis piece a yam, believing to meself seh a Yellow Yam weh me love to me heart.

When me reach home an start peel it fe drop eena me chicken soup, me realize seh it white an de skin tough, wid one heap a sinting like makka pon it. Frighten me! For a Haiti de yam dig. Plus a did eena week me see one heap a wrap head ooman a dance ballerina roun dis huppen grave eena de said Haiti. Weh me understand from a little source, seh Voodoo legal.

Well, still frighten under de quiet, while de fava-yam-sinting cock up pon de counter, all kine a tawt seh step back an check good. For a gooda piece a duppy parts me well arms up like Brinks security. An bring home eena me market basket swear seh a yam. Weh some buy license smady, well classify demself businessman, ship all de way from Haiti fe come mek uprising pon me inna me owna kitchen. Suh me call me madda a yard. An she mek me know seh it soun like a Lucy Yam. It bun me yu see! Cho. For me neva hab a soul fe gi it to.

Which bring me to de point. Yu know weh me miss to me heart a fareign? Since most smady always shet up behind dem door, me miss de sense of community. Like when me was a lilly pickney an g'a country, everytime anybaddy a pass fram dung a gully an a g'a road, dem always call out to me granny an lef something pon har step. A bunch a banana, two water coconut, a basin a bissy, or something.

Den now, by de time dem a pass back fe go home, me granny put out two breadfruit, some guava, or something fe dem pick up.

Unwritten rule

An de unwritten rule was yu bring something, yu get something. Nuh lamentations bout, how life hard yu baddy a trimble. Nuh bring dat to me granny. She woulda recommend a good wash out. But me dear mam, just de mere act of calling out, an leffing something fe yu, was big time community building. For nuh matter how poor dem was, a sell guinep a market, an a eat breadfruit wid shad, not one a dem eva dead fe wants. For if one mawning Mass Joe neva pass an call, before yu seh who live ya, smady reach a him yard fe check pon him. Missis, community is a blessed ting. Tek care!

Dr Jennifer Keane-Dawes has been appointed Interim Dean of the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, a constituent institution of the University of Maryland System. Send your email to: jkd876@yahoo.com.