My Favourite
Jamaican Poems!

Like Jamaican proverbs, Jamaican poems captures the spontaneity of the expressions of our joy and sorrows, our ready, poignant and even wicked wit, our religion and philosophy of life. Many too are deep social commentary.

Arguably, the mother of Jamaican poetry, the late great Louise Bennett-Coverly,through her poems in Jamaican patois, raised the dialect of the Jamaican folk to an art level which became acceptable and appreciated by all in and outside of Jamaica.

Today, we have host of modern day Jamaican poets who are helping to preserve this rich cultural heritage. The list is long but two that stands out in my mind is the ever effervescent Joan Andrea Hutchinson and the radical Mutabaruka.

Needless to say that most of my favourite Jamaican poem are by the one and only Mama Lou.

They include:

1. Dry-Foot Bwoy
2. Back to Africa
3. Social Climbing
4. Scandal
5. Noh Little Twang!

'All a dem nice', but my ultimate favourite is NOH LICKLE TWANG!

This poem bemoans the fact that a recent repatriate Jamaican returned from the United States without a trace of having been there--not even a little "twang"!

NOH LICKLE TWANG by Louise Bennett Me glad fe se's you come back bwoy, But lawd yuh let me dung, Me shame o' yuh soh till all o' Me proudness drop a grung. Yuh mean yuh goh dah 'Merica An spen six whole mont' deh, An come back not a piece betta Dan how yuh did goh wey? Bwoy yuh noh shame? Is soh you come? Afta yuh tan soh lang! Not even lickle language bwoy? Not even little twang? An yuh sista wat work ongle One week wid 'Merican She talk so nice now dat we have De jooce fe undastan? Bwoy yuh couldn' improve yuhself! An yuh get soh much pay? Yuh spen six mont' a foreign, an Come back ugly same way? Not even a drapes trouziz? or A pass de rydim coat? Bwoy not even a gole teet or A gole chain roun yuh t'roat. Suppose me las' rne pass go introjooce Yuh to a stranga As me lamented son wat lately Come from 'Merica! Dem hooda laugh afta me, bwoy Me could'n tell dem soh! Dem hooda sey me lie, yuh was A-spen time back a Mocho. Noh back-ansa me bwoy, yuh talk Too bad; shet up yuh mout, Ah doan know how yuh an yuh puppa Gwine to meck it out. Ef yuh want please him meck him tink Yuh bring back someting new. Yuh always call him "Pa" dis evenin' Wen him come sey "Poo".

You can get the words of the other four here. It's an PDF file, so you may need Adobe Acrobat to open it.

If you are looking to purchase her works, you can check this website dedicated to her. For a list of her publications you may also look here

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Don't miss these other insightful pages about Jamaica below:

• Jamaican Proverbs
• Historical Sites in Jamaica
• Cool Facts About Jamaica
• Profile of Jamaica

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