Row! Row! Row! Yuh boat Colin

Ah don’t want to blow Colin “Hitman” Graham’s bubble, but just to let him know dat his appearance on de scene is like fresh air, but not new. Ole heads like yuh Dad and Lie-Za will tell him dat 50-60 years ago, people his age and younger were delivering de same pull-it-to-kill “anti-oppression message.” Some have gone to de great beyond Eddy Griffith, Kerwyn Morris et al. Some are still among us: Ralph, Arm-in, PR, John Cato, Ken John, Renwick Rose, Mike Browne to name ah few.{{more}} Dem men were vibrant and vociferous as Colin. Under Milton Cato, dey suffered physically and men-tell-he, dey were harassed and searched by Police on de streets and at dey homes, yards dug-up, dismissals from de public service, tear-gased foh peaceful march, was not even ah protest, all foh “de great cause.” Everything is still de same darn way! De only thin dat has changed wid de Police is de colour ah dey Uniform and sophisticated weapons, de sub-name from Riot Squad to Black Squad. Pull-it-to-kill leadership same ole Car-Key pants. Milton Cato, Gone-solft’s favour-it “nah-me-knee” foh “ Nah-shun-all Hero was called Fascist Dictator and all kind ah evil names. Cato was replaced by Mitchell whose worst nickname is not venom-us: Mr Nansi, Sir Nansi-I. He was replaced by Gone-salft. Way Ralph is concerned, just say: “ He’s ah Tea-Are-Eye-See-Kay-Ess-Tea-Air-Are! Mitchell has been de most tolerant of all ah dem, de remainder is “six ah one half-ah-dozen ah de other.”

Ah remember as president of de CSA later de PSU, Cato instructed de PSC to stop me from writing in de Papers. George Thomas den Chairman, told me “do no such thing, go ahead and write, but make sure and write Truth!” Gone-Salft operates differently, he responds thru his Play Stay-shun and characters on his Animal Farm. There he over feeds (pay) his sh**-bulls, did I say Sh**? sorry, dat should be Pit-bulls. On his Play Stay-shuns det are let loose to tear apart absolutely anybody whose scribbling are likely to mek him look bad. Ah suppose if yuh are ah mouse yuh will be scared.

Having said dat bit, Colin “Hitman” Graham must get his Axe to-get-her. If yuh one day late foh paying yuh drivers lie-sins, yuh still late! Except yuh name Luke Browne way yuh could be absent. Secondly, after every Round, de boxers go to dey corners and in one minute, reflect before going to de next Round. Colin is punching himself to de ground. Dey’s ah time foh everything. Time to Retreat which Requires to Relax, Reflect and Restore! Wisdom. Yuh doing way too much talking, therefore yuh will not hear de real voice. Already ah hearing de name Colin “Hitman” Graham foh East St George. Dat again is enough to try to stop any aspiring Hitman, maybe de I-dare is only Aspirational!” Very important, yuh have Youth. Lie-Za add-vice is to play de song “Row, Row, Row yuh boat, gently down de stream!” Dat’s way she finds console-aye-shun!

TODAY FOH ME TOMORROW FEE YUH

Talking bout Console-aye-shun ah feel it foh de Sutherland family dat lives between de two Bar-B-Q Grill at Arnos Vale, dat is literally driving ah nail in dey eleven year ole son’s coffin. And ah want to congratulate Archie Trotman of “Come to Trotmans” fame foh empathizing wid de Sutherland’s plight, by shutting down his daily Bar-B-Q operate-shuns, thereby reducing de smell of burning pork and chicken dat strangle-hate-in de immediate neighbours. How could anybody wid young children of dey own, remain unmindful of wretch-yuh-brute-shun, and thing nothing of meking ah dollar from an operate-shun dat is emitting fumes, smoke from burnt meat, day and night, dat is causing suffering to neighbours who were living peacefully in de community until yuh open yuh offensive operate-shuns.

Stephen Joke-him who is doing ah good So-shell Act-if-his job on Boom Radio wid his side kick Bing Joseph read ah letter dat de eleven year ole Sutherland wrote, thanking Stephen foh highlighting on Boom Radio, his plight and suffering, having to live in ah house dat is full of smoke day and night. Dis is ah youth, one ah de country’s future, being denied de comfort of his home, he cannot study, he locks himself in ah clothes closet in de passage way to avoid stifling fom Bar-B-Q smoke dat occupies his home all night.

Ah made it my business and checked Planning only to find out dat de two offending business proprietors, have no permission to operate Bar-B-Q Grills or Disco. One is permitted to operate ah Light Hardware which means not even cement way dust is all over at times; de other is ah Auto Spare Parts operate-shun. Mrs Sutherland says she went to all body from de PM, to Julie-Ann to Planning, all to no avail. But Lie-Za tell me shut me darn mouth, dis is ah ULP Love ah-fear! Be dat as it may, ah feel foh de young eleven year ole. And sometimes when our nice, well behaved youths turn out to be violent, God forbid ah mean youngsters in general. We does run to sigh-collar-jist to find out “way did we go wrong” or be told dat someone did hurt him/her as ah child. Fellars ley me remind all yuh: “ Today fee me! Tomorrow fee Yuh!” And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.