Mi Dear Jamaica - Poem

by Christine Laud

Mi Dear Jamaica,

Mi lang fi cum home yusi!
Mi miss de warmth and laughta,
And de soun of de rain pon de zinc roof.

Lawd Jamaica, things not so good wid mi
Back deh mi was a professional at de top of mi game
Now mi caan tell yu de tings mi ha fi do fi survive ova yah.
Let’s just say picking peas out of you know what has become reality.

People over here fighting for a scent of it.
Like dat no bad enough
Macca dun bruk off eena mi foot
Ih tun red, ih festa, ih even have some puss

But not a sole can findde macca weh bruck off
Sakadat mi a walk slow an mi dah limp
All mi used to be friends- gone lef mi
Since the relatives dem caan change de blood
Dem keep dem distance

Jamaica, mi have a feelin dat if mi cum home right now
Ih wouldn’t be pretty
Not on de plane
Not on de grung
For everyone will be sure fi si mi limp an mi couldn’t bear ih if dem tun dem back pon mi

So mi precious Jamaica, mi love yu wid all mi heart
Mi miss mango time
Mi miss river cum dung
Mi miss de women in dem pretty-pretty tie head
Mi miss the sound of the rain on the zinc roof.

Mi miss de crowed bus, ih very lonely in de car
Mi miss Fern Gully and Dunn’s River Falls
But mi still live in hope- dat mi wi cough up de dam macca one day
An spit out de stinking puss
An get back in mi nice steady island rhythm
Den I will cum home to yu Jamaica
Jus like mi lef yu

Mi waan to be touched once more, by yu refreshing morning dew
An yu cool evening breeze

Lawd Jamaica, mi waan fi wake up widyu!

Chrysanthemum

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