LAWLISMEDS

In a few hours, I will celebrate my birth. My mother did not have to push me out, she was assisted by a team of doctors and they cut her open and took me out. I didn’t have to struggle through the cervix to get here I was lifted elevated out of the womb and my mother was asleep as I cried; afterall that was thirty four years ago. I know I am not imagining this because my mother tells a story of having woken up asking the nurse for her daughter. She knew I was a girl. The nurses knew I was pink and dubbed me that Pinky; I had a pink teddy bear to commemorate that, but as I got older I named him Johnaton and soon killed him after. But there is also Louise, my grandmother, who said I was Chinese. My Grandmother was the woman who would sit in the house from 9 am till 5 pm to get me to drink porridge, or who would run into the room when my mother would forget about the baby sleeping on her chest and roll in the bed tossing the child on the wooden floor. My Grandmother I sometimes dream a...

In Jamaica the man is a person who does not take chat or is so masculine that violence is the immediate response to any violation. But is that definition useful any longer? Jamaica's Youth The unnamed youth raped a girl. I refuse to use his name as he shares a first name with my nephew and that scares me; as well as, based on my own experience he can bare many names. The situation is obviously much more complex and much more complicated than the scary see a girl for the first time grab a girl throw her in the back of a car and rape her that many people imagine rape to be. The dynamics here are clear that there are nuances and his response to her was to use his penis as discipline.  I have been sitting and looking at the fact that the unnamed youth is sick, and the girl has been made even more ill than she was before as have we for having been exposed to the video and to his post. We are all sick. Even in medicine treating the symptoms do not alleviate the illnes...

After four weeks of nesting in the island, having a range of mishaps and serious episode of culture shock I have a few things to tell the Jamaican people about Trinidad. These are beginners lessons, easy ones that you too will learn on your first visit here, but these are the things I wished someone had told me just to get me prepared.... 1. Trinidad and Tobago is a Republic , has been since 1976 what that means is the supreme power rests in all the citizens entitled to vote (the electorate) and is exercised by representatives elected, directly or indirectly, by them and responsible to them. It means that instead of a monarchy, this country is now represented by a President, who is head of state. Why is that important you may ask? Remember parliaments reaction to PJ's request? You see what's happening with the new prison and David Cameron sinking your country in more debt?  Well that and simply so you know what they mean when they say they are celebrating Republic Day. ...

Dear Kaci Fennell So the Jamaican media is on your case again, specifically the Observer, seems you have stepped on corns because between your boyish beauty, the kiss, the outfit and now your rainbow coloured heart has made the news .  You seem dead set on  embarrassing  Jamaica. Never mind dear; that’s what you get for wanting to be a star the adoration and the backlash. But there are a few things I want to say to you about that profile pic, as a Jamaican. It’s good that you  have let the world know that if nothing else you support the equality to love and to marry who you want. It is a beautiful triumph for Americans who have had an open dialogue, backlash and rulings and legislature for year. And the world’s support of that federal and legal change is a recognition of that triumph, as they share what countries in South America even South Africa, have been granted.  I suspect that’s why you and all the other people who did-in solidarity- put...

http://www.africaspeaks.com Today a young man is being buried as rain water washes away any debris that may have lingered after his tragic accident. Today, I pour a small libation to him because he belonged to a community and the community is the most tragic part of his demise. The African man is known to whenever he is blessed with wealth, to share it in a “boasy” way: send the youth them to school, throw a treat Christmas time, give a youth bus fare to go on an interview, buy liquor at the dance and so on. This is the action of the real big man. And the real big man in a community does this as well not just for the joy of giving but the knowledge that reciprocation occurs, as his investment, his personage is likely to be protected because he is where their “food” comes from, hopefully. All is done in service of self and the community. Motorbike accident on Clifton Boulevard A few weeks ago, I watched a Rasta man ride his bike and crash in a very horrific manne...

When I closed my eyes at night I saw myself as a hip hop poet, a little poet who is androgynous in art and form, tattoo filled chilling back in a house on a hill driving a jeep with the love of my life and my child at my side. A dream carved out of poetry. Yeah I said it poetry. Not music, storytelling or any other lyrical genre, not even performance poetry. Poetry the real deal, page poetry kind of deal. An art form that some say is dead. Or boring. Or too complicated. Or just not bought in bookshops. Which has me now in this stage of my life thinking about the contemporary Caribbean poet a few of whom I have been lucky to have met, read or even laughed strange laughs with. All of whom I feel completely inferior to, let me do some name calling so you can get the idea: Kei Miller, Ishion Hutchinson, Tanya Shirley, Christian Campbell, Millicent Graham and even Ann Margerett Lyn last but not least M'bala, all published poets in one way or another. All Caribbea...