By Yannick Marshall
Kingston Light
The fishmongers come on Tuesday
Smelling like papaya seeds, and salt fish
While schoolboys play football, trying to
impress
The young girls with neatly plaited hair
that would
settle
To walk home, rather than press through
minibus
passengers.
The surrounding markets have stands as
brittle
As sugar cane, yet support the strong black
elbows
Of quarrelling Ms. O'Neil who is sure she
gave
Twenty dollars change to an unconvinced Ms.
Reynolds.
This is the Kingston Light
Somebody heard shots but no, this is
Kinston Light
The Rasta man at his craft,
Trodding to the riddim of some ancient
bongo drums
Street dogs, rummaging through discarded
okra skins
Looking for traces of bully beef. A car
passes
As Mr. Channer kisses his teeth,
"Why dem bwoy nah go dung August Town an'
play dem
ting?
Dem nah see nobody wan 'ear dat boogo boogo
music
round yah:
The Grater Cake is just baked, as fine as
sand
crystals
Left out on a midsummer ledge. The goat
herders lead
their
Goats through rivers of cars and soldier
jeeps.
This is Kingston Light
Somebody heard shots but no, this is
Kingston Light
When fried fish is bagged by
diligent black
fingers
When the peanut punch trickles down the
satisfied grin
of children
When the preachers shout over plastic
barrels on dusty
roads
When steel pans are left out in the sun hot
'Til the rain comes, which drives the
cattle home
And half drowns the distant sounds of
reggae music.
When the sun come up bright, bright, bright
Somebody heard shots but no
This is Kinston Light
Kingston Light
Kingston Light.
So Many Things to Say
They have so many things to say
When their hands are tied
And their back is against the wall
They say system, they say brutality
They say we have nothing to eat
Digging out pea skins for bracelets
Heads turning like compasses
They say oppression, they say delinquent
They say need, they say network
But they haven't lifted a hand
They smoke, they discuss, they tear down
They look to the North, the East, and the
West
And then go back to their Dominos
Well I say build, and I say love,
And I say organize, and I say strengthen
And I say fight, but my hands are not by my
side
But His hands are not by His side
They say revolutions are in the hands of
poets
So I ask you let us write
Let us still send out our words
But let us follow them
Set up the ballots for tonight
And who will stand let him speak
And who will speak let him stand
A poet's words are not on paper
A poet's power is his hand
When I call you Empress
What do I mean when I call you
Empress
What do I mean when I tell you who you are
You see I've seen you in your royal
headdress
And I've seen you reclining on stars.
I've seen you run man weh wan call
you
As black babies sleep in your arms
And I've seen you box man weh wan war you
'cause you know say you nah mix up ina war
So me cyaaan stop call you empress
I know you keep watch and govern your heart
A true me cyaaan stop walk with you empress
And I could never stray from your heart.
Sonnet for my Crack Princess
Red vegetables are on her plate
She watches moons that shine like Chrysler
chrome
Through swinging gates, and sparse tuffs of
grass
Holding her baby like a bushel of wheat
Over cocaine skin, sifting the rain
Dad's gone like swinging gates, I skip
across the
water
Like shining stones, with a bucket of bread
And look into her eyes of Las Vegas
To where I'd dangle from her words like IV
Kissing the naps back down her forehead
Digging gardens in the small of her back
Until she black out like electricity
Get out of here let me get her a basin
Crushed Oranges
Crushed Oranges, slow haze of
factory
lights
Rafters high overhead, the gust of pipes
And buzzing fans, the heat of offices
The butterfly-filled meshes hanging from
closed
windows. Is this Africa?
Deprived of sunshine, and palm trees?
Wild waves spray bright beams against the
towers flung
out casements
Where I stand and look
Clash swords, flash shots and
artillery
Howl cannon, and scream battlers
Tear camouflaged shirts; gulp flasks full
Think not of your daughters and your sons
Think not of the dead
Come home with smiles and say that you have
won