IT PAINS ME tuh see and hear what is happening tuh our babies, our children while we look on and say cud’dear; while we blame somebody else; while we make excuses and do absolutely nothing; while our children continue tuh suffer in silence every single day.
It hurts me to see our children dying in the most painful way and the people who are supposed tuh be there fuh dem, the people they depend on tuh give dem the love and the security they so desperately need doan even seem tuh care.
It saddens me when I read about the lives dat some poor li’l children have to live; how the poor lil things suffer in silence because duh too frighten tuh tell somebody, anybody ’bout the things duh going through all the time. It is wrong!
I, too, am a grandmother myself and it make me sick tuh my stomach when I see a grandmother in the the newspapers crying she heart out fuh a li’l grandson, only six years, who dead and gone ’long just so while the people, she say, who was suppose tuh be helping and protecting him, just making a bundle o’ excuses. It really hurts my heart.
It pains me when I see a li’l baby boy in the newspapers wid he lil face swell up big, big and somehow nuhbody ain’t seem tuh care. My heart went out tuh him and all I did feel like doing is finding him and holding him close tuh me, hugging him, kissing him and telling him dat somebody loves him. My God, he is only a baby! There’s nothing I could do and so very much I would love tuh do tuh spare our babies from going through summuch heartache and hell.
It broke my heart when I read ’bout a li’l boy only twelve years old, dying the way they said he did and the people, the neighbours, evahbody, all of a sudden have a voice. Yes! Evahbody could get in the newspapers now and talk bout the things dem see or hear going on all the years. Yet not one o’ dem, nuhbody ain’t had the guts tuh say one word. But now dat it is too late, aaallllll sorts o’ people, evahbody see something, hear something, know something and got something tuh say. It is sad, very very sad.
It tears me apart when I think dat duh got a lot o’ big people out there, mothers and fathers, uncles and aunts who day after day continue tuh inflict pain and suffering pon helpless li’l children. They tek out duh frustration pon dem. Then duh got a lot o’ other people, other family members, even their friends who know wha’ going on but refuse tuh say or do anything ’bout it fuh one reason or the other.
I aint telling ya nuh lie: I feel sorry fuh these kinda people who do wrong things tuh li’l children. Who hurt li’l children. Who put dem through hell and who playing dat dem broken and contrite when duh mess get uncovered. These people forget dat wha’ evah duh sow, duh gine reap. Duh went tuh Sunday School but duh nevah read the scripture verse in Matthew dat say whoevah do anything tuh these li’l children, it is better dat a large millstone be tied ’round duh neck and they be cast in tuh the sea.
It is time a lot o’ we stop burying we heads in the sand and come forward, stand up, speak out and start doing something ’bout the many wrong things dat happening in Barbados, especially the wrong things dat continue tuh happen tuh we babies, we li’l children, while we stand aside and look.
• Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. She has an opinion on everything.
