The Malliouhana Poetry Competition Committee, in conjunction with the Lions Club, on Monday night, December 17th, staged at The Trough what was dubbed Malliouhana Poetry Extempo 2018 . This was part of the schedule of Christmas events, being featured by the Lions Club Committee.
Several poets and writers were called upon to cheer the modest gathering with their pieces of the written word. Poets in the persons of Quincia Gumbs, Alexis Ryan, Lindell Brooks, Gina Brooks and James Harrigan all presented intriguing poetic works to the cheers and entertainment of the happy audience. There were presentations by a select group of children as well.
Though the presentations were not all Christmas-oriented, they were nonetheless quite timely. Some were entertaining, some were otherwise heartrending, some were exhilarating, while others provided food for thought. There were those, as well, which displayed the talents of the poet in the way that he or she skillfully composed their arresting messages.
The Anguillan thought it would be a good idea to publish one of the recitals. This was written by Gina Brooks, and she notes that it was a piece she had written some two years ago during the Christmas season. In it, she reflects upon her childhood Christmas experiences and tells what the way of life was like in Anguilla when the Christmas spirit pervaded the air of yesteryears. Many Anguillians would identify with these experiences, even as she relates them in local dialect tone:
“Man, ah you chirrun tink dat ah yuh does have wuk?
If I tell ah you bout di wuk me an mi brudda hatte do when ti wuh comin on ti Chris’mas.
We Momma use to cetch di yard fowl and put dem to purge.
Awu know wha purgin is? I know ah yuh aint gaw a clue.
Dem fowls use to have to stay deer stake out fuh bout a week just eatin pure pusley or some udder bush to clean out dem craw so dem cud be ready to pik and season for di Chris’mas.
Di next ting was goin up di Walley Bottom to pick dem green and dry peas and pack um in crocus bags or sugar bags. If ah yuh tink di only job was to pick di peas, stand by for di shellin, trashin, winnin out and pickin out di bad grains.
After di trashin and di winnin out, yuh hattu get dem bags ah dry peas full up ah silament bush, or bay leaf, or head up by di plot fuh di seven powder wah today dem say is poisonous to yuh.
Oh don’t fuget.. if yah aint had silament bush an all ah dem ting, we use to use di black pepper so di bats wuddin ah tek over. Cause if yuh never do dat, by di time yuh get ready to cook fuh Chris’mas yuh woulda know dat all yuh mighta fine wuh plenti half grains time di bats done wid um.
Man don’t ask bout di cornin ah di pork to hang under di drop shed in di kitchen. Man da pork hattu score up good and den we had to help corn it wid di pond salt.
In doon ask bout dem pung cakes, buns, tart an potato puddin. Hummm. I tellin yah. We aint had no food processor, blender or electric mixer. We hattu grate dem pounds ah sweet potatoes and coconuts. Sometimes yuh use to grate yuh fingas in all. Even when yuh grate yuh fingas ti wuzzin no stoppin.
Den mixin di pound cake, yuh creamin da butta an sugar wid a board spoon fuh time til di sugar grains melt. What a ting to get da cream wid sprinklin lil water and puttin in an egg here and deer. What a relief when it finally got to creamy.
Di bess part uh di poind cake mekkin was ti di en when yuh get a chance to scrape di bowl wid yuh fingers and den lick di batter off. (Huh! di news warnin yuh now bout eating raw batter. Man if ti woulda tek da ti out we lights many ah we here woulda been histry ah ready.
Da was di fun part. But man, di part I neva like was all dem curtains yuh hatter iron down from night til mornin. In doon fuget..after we done press all dem curtains, we hatter get ready fuh chuch. Da time outside cole wid di dew, and we just wan go in we bed, but da wassin goin be a choice. To chuch we had to go. Down by Ebenezer in di five uh clock dew.
Dem was di times. But dem times wuh good times. People came together in peace, love and harmony to manifest the reason for the season. As we celebrate this Christmas Season, uh wish awyuh health, uh wish awyuh wealth, uh wish awyuh a golden store, uh wish awyuh Heaven after death wah can uh wish awyuh more. May 2019 bring awyuh and me too, uh extra dose uh comfort, joy and hope!”
Written by: Gina Brooks December 2016. First reading December 17th 2018.
