Jamaican Poetry: Mama Portia and Dean

By: Denise N. Fyffe.
Copyright © 2012, Poetess Defy, Denise N. Fyffe

Dean met a woman he had never before seen,
One wid a vision and a rising dream.
He thought he would pay har a devastating trip;
Taking his friends Chaos and Gusty Winds,
Just for the fun of it.

Mama Portia sey ‘God, what must I do,
Some a mi picknie dem caan handle another hurricane,
Especially so soon’;
God sey ‘stand firm and watch mi tonight,
A gwaan gi yuh di strength to fight.’

Mama Portia and some of her picknie pray,
Dat devastation would not touch them dat day;
Everybody huddled and prepared for the fight,
Some took a quick peep wid dem TV camera,
To see who would lose that night.

Dean looked on and crept near,
Mama Portia sey bwoy yuh not welcome here.
She tell har brothers be prepared for any ‘Emergency’.
I want tings in place as a contingency.

Di fight get serious bout 3 di day,
Chaos and Gusty wind got a head start,
Dem nearly tear St. Thomas apart.
Caribbean Terrace was battered and bruised,
Portland Cottage cry flood, when it look like dem soon loose.

God stepped in and sey ‘ Enough is enough’;
Dean started to howl like him waan play tough.
Him lick off couple roof and tangle some line,
Him sey ‘God now is my time.
I not changing course.
I having Jamaica today,
Now is Chaos time wid wind and rain.

God raised his hand,
Dean was forced to obey,
He crept on South, at the end of the day.
Mama Portia, jumped up God’s praises a sing;
Yuh si why yuh mus believe inna God fi everyting

Har brothers kept watch for any ‘Emergency’,
In case Looting pass through to take advantage a wi.
Some worked hard to bring wata and light;
Digi and CW competed fah continual cell coverage dat night.

Mama Portia stayed her course,
She sey wid God, yuh caan go wrong.
Though times rough and di trek hard,
She always she, God must be first inna fi har yaad.
Ah yah yi.