Dear Nesta,
One night, couple weeks ago, wuh you t’ink I should see durin’ de local TV news, but couple young men ’pon duh way to Dodds, wavin’ an’ laughin’ while boardin’ de vehicle to tek dem up.
Ef de TV was ’pon “Mute” yuh woulda believe duh was off ’pon holiduh. It din a good scene, an’ up to now I still remember it. Is dis de Buhbayduss we now live in? Criminals jokin’ ’bout gine up to Dodds? A place whey, as far as I know, don’ offer res’ an’ relaxation fuh bad behaviour, but “punishment time” to refleck ’pon duh wrongdoin’.
An attitude o’ “c’n-care-less” an’ disrespeck fuh self an’ ethuhs now runnin’ t’rough de society an’ mekkin’ yuh realise dat fuh a lot o’ people – ole an’ young – gettin’ “sen’ up” en no “big t’ing”. Go up, “cool out”, get t’ree squares a day an’ when yuh time up, come out an’, fuh some, pick up whey yuh lef’ off. Praise Chris’ doh, we still got some who decide to put duh time to good use an’ come out wid mo’ “learnin” dan duh had befo’.
Evah sence I see dis picture, I been wonderin’ ef de “horse” en now out de stable an’ gallopin’ way from “aut’ority”. Ef so, we better turn fas’ to de li’l ones to try to put dem ’pon de right track from young. As my mother used to say – while sharin’ out some hot lashes – “train up a chile in de way it should go, an’ it en gine depart from it when it get ole”.
Trildrun today en neffin like de ones o’ yestuhday. I en know ef duh tekkin’ lessons from Amurican TV or wuh, but it en easy a-tall in we “halls o’ learnin’” nowadays. Trildrun would attack anybody ef duh feel duh had cause – duh weapons always to han’ – an’ de sad part is, some parents back duh.
My niece once went t’rough hell wukkin’ couple terms at a certain school. De las’ straw was when a 13-year ole boy pick up a chair an’ aim it straight fuh she head, jes’ barely missin’ it ef she din duck, ’cause ’e din like wuh she was tellin’ ’e. Now, whey you t’ink he headin’?
Bullyin’ still alive an’ well in ’nough schools. I coulda swear de aut’orities had it all onder control, evah sence dat turrble tragedy ’bout t’ree years ago, when a li’l schoolboy get kill, tryin’ to get ’way from some school bullies. Aldoh it was a great “hue an’ cry” from outraged citizens fuh weeks, like mos’ t’ings hey, it jes’ turn into a “nine-day wonder” an’ dat was dat – ’til lately. It in de news agen an’ dis time I onderstan’ de aut’orities lookin’ to do all duh could to curb it.
Yuh en no better off when yuh “hit de road”, as yuh tekkin’ yuh life in yuh han’s soon as yuh lef home. It good to say couple “Hail Marys” befo’ startin’ out. Motoris’s drive like lunatics. Runnin’ red lights, speedin’ up at roundabouts’ an’ causin’ accidents. Yuh won’ like to know hummuuch times I nearly get swipe off tryin’ to cross dem four lanes at Upton. De speed limit o’ 40 kilometres mean neffin to dem fools rushin’ down de BET hill as ef duh own de road – ’specially ef duh drivin’ a “big ride” – deafenin’ yuh wid de horn, wid no intention o’ slowin’ down.
But in spite o’ all de “doubts an’ fears”, Buhbayduss had four centenarians in four days celebratin’ duh birfday las’ week – 1914 musta been some kinda year! Watch it, Japan – we ketchin’ up!
Tek care o’ yuhself.
Yuh frien’, Babsie.
