MARJORIE WALTERS

Marjorie ‘Da Poet’ Walters, chef, and poet. Born March 14, 1967.

The youngest of ten children, her mother died when she was young. Enid Goode adopted her when she migrated to Kingston. Initially, she was homeschooled, but later she also attended Alex French Prep, Melrose All-age School, and Norman Manley Secondary School. Marjorie was later sent to the Glen Hope Place of Safety for Girls on Maxfield Ave. Later, she was again transferred, to the Stratton Girls Home.

Marj, as she is affectionately called, loves reading books and started writing poetry when she began to struggle with low self-esteem, peer pressure, and anxiety. She admired the Hon. Louis Bennett Covertly aka Ms. Lou and followed her example by writing dialect poems. She also enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandkids, Dominic, Mackhala, and Abigail.

This book, Highways, Byways & Beyond, is dedicated to her daughter, Shackeria, and three beautiful grandkids.

She hopes her poems will be an inspiration to many. And join her in holding on with firm belief to her favorite quote, “I can, I must, I will.”

THE BOOK

This book shares Marjorie Walter’s commentary on some of the personal, social, and economic issues she has experienced growing up and living in poverty-stricken communities in Jamaica.

Many of her poems highlight the daily struggle of Jamaican people. Murder, Roses for the Victim, and Pickney on Fire are a few of the poems that deal with the increasingly disturbing issues of crime and violence, police brutality, incest, abuse, and a number of other crippling problems experienced by people living in low-income communities.

She also shares quite a few love poems that bring focus to the game of courtship between couples. Check out Ghetto Love, Gangster Love vs. Thug Love, The Call Before Dawn, and many others.