Me, This Grenadian

Me, this Grenadian, who stood on the wharf
And watched sea pum pum swim in the sea
Then arrived late for school,
And Palmer got vex like hell,
He pulled out ah strap,
And gee me ah good cut-arse.
Licks for so!

Me, this Grenadian who was stung
By bee and maribone,
Red ants and black ants.
Me who skate down Cooper Hill,
’Til ah skate the bottom off
Me new school pants.

Me, this Grenadian who fell in ah patch
Of stinging nettles, zootie and pugatay
And ah itching still.

Me, this Grenadian who rolled bicycle rim
And rode broom stick pretending it was ah horse,
Ah float in the sea with ah tire tube,
Where black sea egg jook me foot and bam bam
And ah pee on me foot to take out the spikes.

Me, this Grenadian who ate
The long thread-like thing from lambie,
And made ah mistake and ate sandbox,
Then ah called the pit latrine home sweet home.

Me, this Grenadian who made ah slinging shot,
Who run down rainflies,
And climbed coconut trees,
And dived for Lobster,
And stoned red crabs by the bay
And sucked tambran till it cut me tongue.

Me, this Grenadian who jumped in mas band
Me, who played ah Viking mas and ah sailor mas
Me, who was ah jab jab wild Indian and ah shortknee
And ah played ole mas for all to see

Me, this Grenadian who played cricket
With breadfruit and gospo
Then made gospo juice
And hit ah man’s window with the gospo
And ah ran like hell,
But he took the ball (the gospo)
Like they always did to make juice

Me, this Grenadian who sucked Chinese plum,
And the big Jamaican plum,
But ran from hog plum,
Ah stoned mango and grabbed Mammy's fried jacks,
And pulled cane from dem big cane trucks.

Me, this Grenadian who walked from Chantimelle
Till ah reached Low Town ,
And accompanied me lady up Snell Hall,
And shot wild goats up in the little islands.

Me, this Grenadian who watched shango people,
Ah saw dem drink goat blood,
And watched Leader G cut they backside with ah whip.
Yes, me, this Grenadian who mop ah ride
On ah banana truck and ah Janet truck.

Me, this Grenadian who spend time in ah school
In Six Roads, Carriacou,
Where ah big horse fly stung me nose,
But ah had a wonderful time,
Carriacou people nice for so!

Me, this Grenadian who saw horse race
In Seamoon and Queen’s Park too!
And ah made ah ting,
Under the big tree in Grand Anse,
In the dead of night.

Me, this Grenadian who drogue cocoa,
And cleaned pigpen,
And mashed pig mess,
And ah bawl O…….GEED!

Anthony W. DeRiggs