What a summer! Bandana and phone bills
Dear Editor,
Greetings in the name of August, which is five days away. Take your time, July!
It is an interesting summer so far, especially in the realm of social media. Bandana or madras, table cloth and dish towel, are very popular items. Vendors should have no problems selling these.
Columbus is back, it seems. Some Jamaicans have just discovered Miss Lou. I was fortunate enough to discover her in my little ‘country’ library — one of my favourite places — but the language was too complex, so I called it quits.
Some time later, while in college I found myself once again in the library; this time I was earning some pocket money so I could buy me some “stiff breast”, otherwise known as pyramid ripple drink.
There, again, I discovered her. Jamaica Labrish, published one year before I was born. I sat down and decided that this time around I was going to live up to my name and read this thing.
Read I did. Not only did I read, I entered speech competition ‘ Jamaican dialect for the great house of ‘Spur Tree’ during eisteddfod and won two gold medals by reciting Dutty Tough and South Parade Peddler in first and second year. I lost my crown in third year when I did another of her poems, Love Letter. I should have taken note of that.
Thanks to you, Miss Lou, the man who is in charge of the ‘yaad’ at the Ministry of Finance was able to quietly slip out of the spotlight after his $8-million-plus phone bill in record time. Let’s not talk about how much Pepsi and pyramid ripple that money could buy to quench the thirst from this summer heat.
Shane Reid
Hopewell, Hanover
shanereid74@yahoo.com