Glengoffe Days

GLENGOFFE DAYS-A COLLECTION OF POEMS- A review of these Poems

1.BEN’S  BACK-We were celebrating the return of our old headmaster or were we? Some students, those who didn’t want to learn were sorry to see Quaco go.Those who wanted to learn were all too happy to welcome back Ben.

2.IN THE CANEFIELDS-I’m looking back at my days in the canefields and regretting that those days are no more nor are many of the older folks.

3.GIVE US BACK OUR NAMES-Why did the people who came to the West Indies and the Americas as slaves, lose their surnames?

4.STOP THE RAINS-We are always praying for rain especially during a drought. However because of the fragile nature of our environment we can’t have too much of it.

5.CRICKET IN THE ROAD-Oh, how we loved the game of cricket. As a youngster I use to play the game every day. I still believe that it is the greatest game of them all.

6.LAMENT OF THE TAINO MAN-Who were the Tainos?These were the people, Columbus met when he first came to Jamaica. This ancient Taino is lamenting the destruction of his people by these foreigners.

7.THE TRAMP AND THE STORM-A tramp is caught in a storm

8. THE HIGGLERS-A poem about the contribution of the higglers from my district.

9. WASHDAY-While our mothers were washing the clothes we were cooking the food. And while they were bathing up stream we were swimming and catching fish downstream.

10.MARKET DAY-They came from far and near to buy and sell at the Glengoffe market. On market days, Fridays and Saturdays, you could find some very colourful people, from the butchers, the higglers to the market gardeners and the fishmongers among others. Unfortunately the market is no more as the spate of hurricanes rendered it inoperable.

11.WE ARE A GREAT NATION- What is keeping back Jamaica from achieving its true potential? Everybody agrees that it’s the crime. Crime is stemming Jamaica’s growth potential.

12.GOING TO THE BUSHES TO CUT FIREWOOD-I’m telling about going to the bushes to cut firewood.

13. MAKING GRASS MATS TO SELL-I’m talking about making grass mats to sell

14.RIDING A MILK TRUCK TO SCHOOL-We took a milk truck to school in the mornings.

15.TAKING A SHORT CUT HOME-Poem talks about taking a short cut to and from school sometimes

16.THE HAT PLATTERS-There was a time when everybody in Glengoffe were making straw hats to sell

17.AIRPORT OUTINGS-Poem talks about a whole village packing into one or two buses and going to the airport to see a fellow villager off to a foreign country

18.STOP THE VIOLENCE-We want the violence, against all of our people to stop.

19.DAYBREAK-Daybreak looks so beautiful in Jamaica.

20. SUNSHINE-Oh, beautiful Jamaican sunshine, where are you? I’ve seen you in so many places.

21.I DREAMED MY GRANDMOTHER-I dreamed my grandmother, but she didn’t say anything to me.

22. GOING INTO THE HILLS TO TEACH- A poem about my experience teaching in the hills.

23.I’M BACK FROM THE HILLS NOW-Another poem about teaching in the hills.

24.DO WE KNOW OUR HISTORY- Are we proud of our culture, our race?

25.MANGO SEASON- A poem about mango season.

26.KITE FLYING-Poem about kite flying.

27. BIRD SHOOTING- A poem about bird shooting.

28.THE BIG RIVER- A Poem about the mysteries of our native river.

29.GIVE US BACK OUR LANGUAGE-A poem about taking away our language and giving us ones that we don’t understand.

30.WE MUST PROTECT OUR CHILDREN-Poem about protecting our children.

31. WE WANT PEACE IN THE WORLD-Poem about peace in the world.

32.I’M OVER THE MOON-A faith based