Coolie Son
Coolie Son - David Dabydeen
Coolie Son
(The Toilet Attendant Writes Home)
Taana boy, how you do?
How Shanti stay? And Sukhoo?
Mosquito still a-bite all-you?
Juncha dead true-true?
Mala bruk-foot set?
Food deh foh eat yet?
Englan nice, snow and dem ting,
A land dey say fit for a king,
Iceapple plenty on de tree and bird a-sing –
Is de beginning of what dey call ‘The Spring’.
And I eating enough for all a-we
And reading book bad-bad.
But is what make Matam wife fall sick
And Sonnel cow suck dry wid tick?
Soon, I go turn lawya or dacta,
But, just now, passage money run out
So I tek lil wuk –
I is a Deputy Sanitary Inspecta,
Big-big office, boy! Tie round me neck! Brand new uniform, one big bunch keys!
If Ma can see me now how she go please…
from 'Coolie Odyssey' (Hansib, 2001) © David Dabydeen 1987, used by permission of the author.