"jamaica" poems
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Dec 21, 2019
Dec 21, 2019 at 11:08 AM UTC
Planes flying overhead make me sick
Certainly this country is a top pick
But I cannot escape the feeling
Something is missing
The island breeze across my face
A simply enchanting place
The water may be tainted
The walls not painted
Doors made of zinc
But then I think
It shall forever be the my home
And will always think about it when I am alone
it will leave you saying ah
Jamaica
Oct 28, 2012
Oct 28, 2012 at 2:04 AM UTC
Beat the Congo
Blow the horn
Wave your hand
Out of many one people
What a vibration
In a this little island
Even though we can’t live as one
But when a party time
We unite
Nuh matter the culture (it doesn’t)
We a full joy we self
You have Rasta talking
Christians praying
Bay song playing (in the context Bay means a lot)
Smiles on everybody faces
Out many one people
So come the Chinese, British, Syrians, Americans, Indians
Every Caribbean and rest of the world
Come to Jamaica
And feel alright
Listen some Bob
Don’t carry no jewelry
Because you will get rob
But come and eat
Have a feast
Enjoy we beach
Entertainment
Energy a shot
Drink a cold beer
Relax under the coconut tree
Feel free
We have **** chicken
Curry goat
Festival, rice, Bammy
Fry and steam fish
Come enjoy we cultural dish
Food galore
Go back a your country
Tell every boy and girl
Say Jamaica nice
We know say crime and violence
Corruption
A plague
But don’t let that stop you
Cause everybody welcome
Nuh matter taste (It doesn’t)
Come in a haste
Cause we have a celebration
Jam dung vibration
Me a tell the politician
Say me a send out a special invitation
But first we yard need renovation
Build up Jamaica
And education
Cause we live in a paradise
Black, green and gold
We proud and bold
As we motto say
Out of many one people.
CHRISTENA ANTONIA VALAIRE WILLIAMS ©2012
JAMAICA
Jan 7, 2013
Jan 7, 2013 at 12:55 PM UTC
I found my soul at 300 baud
in a world the world would one day come to adore
before there were webs
we were the spiders
before there were laws
nothing could be denied to us
we were wardialling before cybercrime
we were a virus before virii became a fake news byline
but if busted I'll deny I ever tried to
break a trunk through MCI jamaica
sat on ************ station for days
raking in creds like a madmuhfuhn rap master
with nothing greater than a pair of headphones
and a cheap cassette tape deck to take me there
kids today dont respect what they play with
back in the day we had to be outlaws
to connect to todays day to day bandwidth
Sep 30, 2017
Sep 30, 2017 at 4:30 PM UTC
There was an Old Man of Jamaica,
Who suddenly married a Quaker;
But she cried out, 'Alack!
I have married a black!'
Which distressed that Old Man of Jamaica.
4.1k
As the warmth of the sun kisses my cheeks, the coolness of the breeze brush my hair and the soothing sound of the water makes it hard for me to leave.
Oh paradise where have you been?
Colorful attires, friendly people, delicious food, cultural music and creative dances. I've never felt such joy from all the places I've been.
Oh sweet paradise where have you been?
People always say there is no place like home and when you visit Jamaica it will have you saying 'oh sweet paradise where have you been?'
Mar 25, 2015
Mar 25, 2015 at 5:26 AM UTC
Born Robert Nesta Marley on February 6, 1945
In nine mile, St.Ann
Emancipate yourself from mental slavery none
But ourselves can free our mind
I grew up on that prophetic message and philosophy
And it never left my soul or mind
You have left a legacy
World renowned
This dreadlocks man left his mark
Permanently
I believe you were before your time
I was not yet born
When you departured
But your music was my friend
I was built on your roots
Something music lacks today
Your words emanate so powerfully
That builds faith and tear down injustice
It inspire greatness
I remember the man who chants words of ball of fire
Hitting beyond anyone’s imagination
Or comprehension of his God given talent
He has touched hearts from Jamaica to America
Europe to India to Africa all over
His music is worldwide
It’s like a life’s guide
Whether ball head or Rasta man
Bob Marley music lives on
I have yet to see someone like him
His legacy continues with his sons and daughters
With every Jamaican
His message was deep, spiritual and philosophical
To the soul and mind.
R.I.P
The Great Reggae Legend.
All Rights Reserved.
Christena Antonia Valaire Williams
Jamaica W.I
Jan 7, 2013
Jan 7, 2013 at 12:32 PM UTC
Hello everyone,
I'm so very sorry … I feel horrible doing this, but I have no choice. You see, I have published my first book on Amazon/Kindle! This piece (and many others) had to be taken down because they do not allow published material to be available online for free. (Go figure) I wanted to leave the shell of the posts because I felt compelled to leave all your helpful and loving comments. (Silly sentimental, I know), but I also didn't want to just have the pieces disappear without an explanation. I feel bad enough as it is!
I owe ALL of you so, SO much for all of your reads, love, and support. It was YOU that gave me the gumption to FINALLY get off my **** and publish! Thank you all for the warm comments, camaraderie, and encouragement! I will still be here, reading, uploading and just being the Rascal that I am. How could I EVER leave you guys?
The book is called “The Way I See It – FictionPhilosophySoul Food” and it will be FREE for the first few days on Kindle Select, so watch for it, if you are interested. I hope that you go and grab it. If you do, I would also hope that you find it worthy, you would leave me a good review. That will help me get in the public eye! Soon afterwards (2-3 days or so), it will be available in paperback. I will be building my Author page tonight (12/21/2018) and my website finished first thing Monday!
Find the book(s) here: www.amazon.com/author/jeff.gaines
Or find the book(s), and all about me, here: www.JeffGaines.world
Soon after, I also hope to have my first novel (a supernatural thriller), called “Wanderer” available as well!
Wish me luck!
Big, Biggest Love,
Jeff Gaines
Jul 10, 2018
Jul 10, 2018 at 7:00 AM UTC
Is it nice inside your closet?
Do you have enough room?
Listen, you can talk to me. I have secrets too.
Do you enjoy Life inside your Closet?
And can you call it Home?
Maybe, you'd like to get out.
Visit Jamaica, Paris, Rome?
You know, I wouldn't let you travel alone.
Are you afraid of your parents?
or the judgement of your peers?
Afraid your deep dark secret might spill out after a few beers?
Don't want to ruin your reputation?
with what? The truth?
Scared of Confrontation?
Sweetie, don't waste your youth.
© copyrighted Nicole Ann Osborn
Aug 7, 2014
Aug 7, 2014 at 4:44 AM UTC
A single tear.from mother.Africa.
Igbo ?
Kenya.
Jamaica. The.Caribbean diaspora.
Warm.and.easy.... Belize....coool trade winds.
Banana republic. UNU..IS WE
UNU IS YOU.
UNU is unity.
Mar 2, 2014
Mar 2, 2014 at 2:05 AM UTC
Vi en las costas de Trinidad
conchas nereidoasirenadas
tejer sus cabellos ,
cantar Rege los peces
en Jamaica
al amor en Carthagena ,
madurar como mango
a los poetas del Sur bailar
Cumbia
Y vi en sus ojos la revolucion
alrededor de la estatua de Bolivar .
19.10.2000
Feb 27, 2012
Feb 27, 2012 at 10:38 PM UTC
I expected this but not so soon
I was just finally enjoying being me
Leaving here is going to be like leaving behind a huge part of me
This is where I was born
Where I grew up , where I first experienced true love
Where I first experienced heartbreak
This is where I became Kay-Ann
But part of me is happy
I'm going to begin a new life
A new life full of possibilities
Surely I'll miss my homeland
I'll miss the food
My dear ackee and saltfish
I'll miss the sights
Devon House and Emancipation Park
I'll miss the people
My friends from school and past loves
But migrating is all about starting anew
Starting that new chapter in the book of me.
Jan 9, 2014
Jan 9, 2014 at 4:12 PM UTC
How fast a vegetable heart can perish?
A toddler growing like a seed of corn
Planted on a fertile ground
So cherished,
Like a man after the king's heart.
Not knowing nature has a different plan against him
Or men of the underworld are strongly against his being
And too desperate to shower unending tears on her fresh mother's smiling cheeks
He was stolen away by death.
I can't forget that dark scaring night
Where all the heavenly bodies were dead asleep.
The echoes of his granny shout still live in my head
A shout she made like she just realised she has been praying into deaf ears
The prowess of which I plucked him off my mother laps to my chest
Still baffles me
The race we ran to the empty darkness outside
Reminds me of the speed of a certain Bolt from Jamaica.
In prayers, speed and tears
We continue our race to a center for health care
Too much fluid is lost, the doctor summited and aided us to continue our race for more competence.
Competence often too difficult to find in this part of Africa.
To cut it all short, competence was found
Treatment was made
Praises bell began to ring in our hearts for we thought he was already saved.
Yes, the next morning, he moved, smiled and uses hands to play!
But the noon that follows the whole story changed
And the ceremony of mourning began.
His spirited effort wasn't enough and he had to leave us,
No, he was jealously taken away from us
Just weeks before his first year birthday.
The stain of his tears still lives on my mother pillow
Reminding her that she was a grand mother for eleven months and a week ago.
His happy face still stand in a picture at a corner of her mother mirror
Recalling the fact that she has lost a gem to the world of ghosts.
His father striving to remain a man as he pushes to get loans
To pay up his medical bills from family and folks even from supposing foes.
The pain of his departure never cease to add Bitter sound to my heart beat,
Though forgotten how cute he was when he was alive
But I never fail to remember how cute he became in dead indeed.
His demise was a script Unseen,
Till date it remain a prank to me.
Amidst all the experiences I have been forced to face
This is one of the scripts I wish it was never written nor played.
Feb 8, 2014
Feb 8, 2014 at 6:18 PM UTC
¿Por qué, por qué tiene que ser así? Esto no es correcto, no para mí.
No quiero que me digan que pruebe el “Café de Costa Rica”, los “Bombones de Colombia”, las “Arepas de Venezuela”, las “Carnes de Argentina", las “Pastas italianas”, los “Tacos mexicanos”, la “Tortilla española”, la “Comida china” o la “Pizza con el ingrediente especial de Italia”. No quiero que me digan “Esto está hecho en China” ni “¡Wao! Esto no está hecho en China, está hecho en Taiwan”. No quiero que me digan “Mira este documental de África”, “Que hermosa se ve esa foto de la Torre Eiffel” o “Que alto debe estar ese edificio de New York”. No quiero que me cuenten cómo les fue en su viaje a Europa, su jornada en California o sus problemas mientras estuvieron en Canada. No quiero que me relaten las historias aprendidas durante su tiempo en Egipto o los bailes ensayados mientras estaban en Brasil. No quiero que hablen de su críticas respecto a la cutura de India, de Guyana o de Cuba. No quiero que me describan lo exquisita que estuvo la comida en Perú, en Australia o en República Dominicana. No quiero que me muestren la música de Jamaica o la de Rusia. No quiero que me digan o me enseñen nada, nada más. Quiero yo poder probar los alimentos en su nacionalidad. Quiero sentir el aroma del café en las mañanas durante unas vacaciones en Costa Rica y probar ese toque especial que hace que la pizza en Italia sea diferente a la que acostumbramos a ordenar. Quiero ver cómo hacen los artefactos, estar en China y luego en Taiwan, tener esa experiencia de crear algo. Quiero visitar África y tomar mi propio documental, treparme en ese gigante edificio y apreciar la hermosa vista. Quiero ser yo la que cuente mi experiencia en las calles de Europa, California o Canada. Quiero aprender historias sobre Egipto y sus magníficas esculturas, incluso quiero aprender a darzar como lo hacen en Brasil y cada movimiento perfeccionar. Quiero dar las críticas sobre mis pensamientos hacia dichas culturas, pero con respeto. Quiero describir los suculentos platos y hacer que las personas se los imaginen, de tal manera que hasta en sus paladares puedan sentirlos. Quiero escuchar la música de Jamaica y la de Rusia y si es en vivo, aún mejor, así podré meditarla e interpretarla. Puede sonar un poco alocado y para muchos sin sentido, pero para mí es más que un simple pensamiento o cualquier capricho, son sueños y metas que a diario me propongo. Para ello hay que trabajar duro, pero desde mi niñez me enseñaron que “el que quiere puede, solo hay que perseverar para triunfar”. Sé que algún día lo voy a alcanzar y todos se sorprenderán, cuando con orgullo les relate sobre lo que un día fue “un simple deseo internacional ”.
Apr 4, 2015
Apr 4, 2015 at 12:24 PM UTC
Poem
I watched a truck churning under a wire convergence
and the sky above doped entrails coming from Europe
Where had the turtle gone, the one puffed in the curve of the fox?
Now clambering onto the icy porch
I open the door into
smells of brass polish, wood polish
pots full of bones.
Winter’s wind rattling time holds me in
I must make marmalade with Seville oranges
with their thick rutted craters, sadly moon-like
a little sweetness of the blossom
worn on bridal veils will come back
as the flesh boils soggy with pips
and Demerara’s sweetness pummels
and I’ll be beaming ear to ear, beaming, full
of a sugar high, then fall. I don’t think I’ll be flying
to Jamaica, but at least I have a box of jars
My house will be dressed
of stiff forsythia branches, blooming
while I pull on stupoods of wool
socks, and wax my boards
I watched whirling snow collapse, loshing
on my face, signs of a dream, unsettling
separating mills and boon from reality.
If I had cast a spell stirring boiling sugar
And whispered ancient simple words
And as spring soars from
the dirt he would say agapa me
and my house full of worms, fat as fingers would dissolve
which is why I must plant, for butterflies to flutter
O my mighty easel, you are not like nature
though you are like a highway
of roots, clamped with straps
Supported or shaded, you reveal
all that I am.
The light begins to drop out of ticking stars
onto the snow bank behind the studio
the place where crimson and ochre mate.
I am really a painter
and my brushes are words
which glaze accidentally across
vellum, spurning censure.
Feb 15, 2012
Feb 15, 2012 at 6:02 AM UTC
All we had all had to die
l never could truly understand why
I wonder if you know how much brighter the stars shine from your almond eyes
Whenever I see you walk by I see that cool July
Your beautiful smile makes me redo when it was mine
For in my eyes,
I keep reversing time
In bed I lie going back to our July every summer night
You and I wrapped in each other tight
you and I gazing at the sunny blue sky
Later came with our first kiss under warm Jamaica Summer rain
Quick drops hitting fast and faster
Your lips so warm and tender
Baby, I pull and pull you closer
By reliving our love over and over
Drowning deep in the island breeze
I remember but quickly forget to breathe
Isn't it funny how special memories can creep in their sleep
Tiny embers that can suddenly make a flame
Always taking you by surprise just like the Jamaica Summer rain
In my eyes,
I keep reversing time
In my heart, there an emptiness still resides
I can hear it cry every summer night The more I long to see the stars in your almond eyes
Is the more I'm again with them underneath that sky
Feeling you again with that island breeze
Continues but remains only in my sweetest dreams
You’ll never know this kinda pain
Of wondering if it touches her the same whenever she's covered in warm Jamaica Summer rain
Jan 4, 2019
Jan 4, 2019 at 7:07 PM UTC
It happened at 4:05 PM at Jamaica Station
Anticipating a LIRR connection arrival of when
A woman answered questions of man
The woman was totally high at her command
She walked to one side of the platform
The drugged up woman dropped her plastic Coke Cola bottle on the ground
The woman then walked to the other side of the platform and then stepped off
The next then anybody knew, she was laying flat on the tracks
A multitude of commuters that pulled her up
Luckily no train came
Her life yet remained
It is the Lord who gave her another chance
God had mercy so she could continue in advance
Fate could have been death
But the message states, “There is still life left”
Walking unknown
This is what life has shown
The woman has a drug crave
Jul 23, 2014
Jul 23, 2014 at 3:52 AM UTC
Indulgent muse! my grov’ling mind inspire,
And fill my ***** with celestial fire.
See from Jamaica’s fervid shore she moves,
Like the fair mother of the blooming loves,
When from above the Goddess with her hand
Fans the soft breeze, and lights upon the land;
Thus she on Neptune’s wat’ry realm reclin’d
Appear’d, and thus invites the ling’ring wind.
“Arise, ye winds, America explore,
“Waft me, ye gales, from this malignant shore;
“The Northern milder climes I long to greet,
“There hope that health will my arrival meet.”
Soon as she spoke in my ideal view
The winds assented, and the vessel flew.
Madam, your spouse bereft of wife and son,
In the grove’s dark recesses pours his moan;
Each branch, wide-spreading to the ambient sky,
Forgets its verdure, and submits to die.
From thence I turn, and leave the sultry plain,
And swift pursue thy passage o’er the main:
The ship arrives before the fav’ring wind,
And makes the Philadelphian port assign’d,
Thence I attend you to Bostonia’s arms,
Where gen’rous friendship ev’ry ***** warms:
Thrice welcome here! may health revive again,
Bloom on thy cheek, and bound in ev’ry vein!
Then back return to gladden ev’ry heart,
And give your spouse his soul’s far dearer part,
Receiv’d again with what a sweet surprise,
The tear in transport starting from his eyes!
While his attendant son with blooming grace
Springs to his father’s ever dear embrace.
With shouts of joy Jamaica’s rocks resound,
With shouts of joy the country rings around.
2.3k
The anti-way is well portrayed
on the cathode ray tube
plugged into millions
who let it pour
into their tired brains,
so for awhile,
like two minutes,
I turn it on
to find out
what the hell
it thinks,
and there are murders
and happy salesman
and bigfoot
and pictures of Jamaica
so I say,
"Oh...that's what
it's about..."
Feb 25, 2012
Feb 25, 2012 at 5:25 AM UTC
Poem
I watched a truck churning under a wire convergence
and the sky above doped entrails coming from Europe
Where had the turtle gone, the one puffed in the curve of the fox?
Now clambering onto the icy porch
I open the door into
smells of brass polish, wood polish
pots full of bones.
Winter’s wind rattling time holds me in
I must make marmalade with Seville oranges
with their thick rutted craters, sadly moon-like
a little sweetness of the blossom
worn on bridal veils will come back
as the flesh boils soggy with pips
and Demerara’s sweetness pummels
and I’ll be beaming ear to ear, beaming, full
of a sugar high, then fall. I don’t think I’ll be flying
to Jamaica, but at least I have a box of jars
My house will be dressed
of stiff forsythia branches, blooming
while I pull on stupoods of wool
socks, and wax my boards
I watched whirling snow collapse, loshing
on my face, signs of a dream, unsettling
separating mills and boon from reality.
If I had cast a spell stirring boiling sugar
And whispered ancient simple words
And as spring soars from
the dirt he would say agapa me
and my house full of worms, fat as fingers would dissolve
which is why I must plant, for butterflies to flutter
O my mighty easel, you are not like nature
though you are like a highway
of roots, clamped with straps
Supported or shaded, you reveal
all that I am.
The light begins to drop out of ticking stars
onto the snow bank behind the studio
the place where crimson and ochre mate.
I am really a painter
and my brushes are words
which glaze accidentally across
vellum, spurning censure.
Feb 15, 2012
Feb 15, 2012 at 6:02 AM UTC
Someone’s world jumped
onto a cold set of tracks
at Jamaica station
early last week.
Someone’s world jumped
into the universe next door,
leaving us all for
being too human.
At the time,
I was trapped at Penn Station.
A pain spread
about my stomach
like a pen pressed against
a sheet of looseleaf.
MTA officials made announcements,
calling it a mechanical malfunction.
9 to 5 businessmen in
deep black suits with bluetooth headsets
groaned and bargained
for passage home,
ready to ride
through a stranger's graveyard.
Little kids ran through shops,
fingers sticky with frozen yogurt
and popcorn- surprise treats
used as pacifiers.
I sat in a well known coffee shop
pondering life and death.
The word suicide didn’t hurt
like it used to, but I felt
connected to this stranger.
I thought about
that person’s lover,
that person’s sister,
that person’s mother,
that person’s friend.
I thought about how
all of their galaxies stirred and switched gears.
A planet of theirs- tremendous or trifling in their own imagination-
collapsed and changed the course of everything.
I wondered if their galaxy halted and
each star and planet mourned or
if their galaxy smoothed over the craters
and dodged all the meteors and
didn’t even blink.
My galaxy shifted and
clouds laid thick.
Stars dimmed their lights in harmony.
A few years ago
or even a few months ago,
I would’ve cried
and thought
about following this
stranger to train station heaven.
But now,
I thought about
my sister’s galaxy,
my mother’s galaxy,
my best friend’s galaxy.
Now,
I felt sadness
but I also felt love.
Dec 6, 2015
Dec 6, 2015 at 11:47 PM UTC
Uncle Mike was heading south
To Jamaica he would head
With the amount of hair that poor Mike had
He could only have one dread
A conference for his workplace
A nice resort and lots of sun
Mike was set to go an party
He would work and have some fun
But if you've read my other poems
Mike is not ...well, tuned in
You see his trip was almost over
Before it even did begin
The day that he was leaving
Mike was notified by mail
He needed a new photograph
For his ID card....no fail!!!!
He was already at his hotel
When the notice came to say
You must send us a photo
Or you can't come here to play
He bought himself a camera
A poloraid and then
He tried to take a picture in his room
A true multitasker among men
He put the camera on the hutch
Bent a hanger down to length
And then he tried to push the button
but, the hanger didn't have the strength
He knocked the camera all about
Taking pictures of the walls,
One picture of the tv set
And four photos of his *****
This would be a no go
He had to ask someone instead
How do you ask a stranger
Take my photo on my bed?
He made the plane to Kingston
Found the hotel, settled in
Now, Mike was in Jamaica
And the real fun would begin
Apr 28, 2013
Apr 28, 2013 at 6:26 PM UTC
Gunga peas calypso
Madly
in my cooking ***
gradually I pour canned coconut milk
into the swirling flavors
of cilantro, garlic and onions
Staring into the rich brown
stew
I can see my Mother grating
coconut meat and hand squeezing
the milk like teats from a cow
(Too much work for me)
creating a traditional coconut rice and peas
dish
She was raised on a farm in St. Elizabeth,
Jamaica
early hours, rugged, hard labor were natural
for the family which included nine siblings
Pauline was a kind big hearted Soul
with ample soft *****
perfect for children
to lay their heads upon
and skin that always seemed
to smell of curry
Burnt sienna Indian complexion
wavy black river hair
and colorful patois accent
painted a portrait
cavorting over the dandy, rolling
goat hooved hills of
Jamaican village peasantry
The Moravian church of England formed
beliefs woven inextricably through
the fabric of her simplistic
innocent existence
our Mom instilled a love of
God in us that was pure and hearty
"Sonya stop your daydreaming"
my Mother's clarion voice interrupts
my avid reverie
"Bumba!" I cry aloud
"I haven't had bammy in eons"
Quickly my fingers Google
Another tasty native recipe
chock full of memories
and cassava root
Nov 20, 2014
Nov 20, 2014 at 10:27 PM UTC
Mama
These girls
Here in Jamaica
Are very pretty
Them got
Long jett black
Curly hair
Butter brown skin
Ivory white smile
I think I am
In love with them
Them bodies shaped
Like a glass coke cola bottle
Them walk around here
Basking in the yellow sunshine
Mama them girls here
Too good for me
To let them go home
Me wanna pick some fruit
On this island of Jamaica
Feb 12, 2011
Feb 12, 2011 at 12:40 PM UTC
Bartender
Pour me some more
Let me stumble through the back door
Let the police
Smell the poignant aroma of rhythm and blues
Collide with my Genius creative expression
Handcuff me for resisting being silent
Check my breath for the bubbles of a drunken poet
Spitting up words and rhymes
Expressively with profanity of poetry
Charge me with intoxication
Verbal sensation
Before the judge
I plea guilty
Poetic confinement recommended
On the walls I write art
Painting out the graffiti of the prisoner’s thoughts
And colouring with poetic expressions
Bartender
Pour me some more
Until my cup overflows
I just can’t get enough
Let this liquor become embedded in my arteries and lungs
Let it be in my very DNA
Let it flow through my blood and veins
Through my heart and mind
Let it be hypnosis for my dreams
I drank poetry and it tasted delicious.
CHRISTENA ANTONIA VALAIRE WILLIAMS ©2012
JAMAICA
Jan 7, 2013
Jan 7, 2013 at 12:56 PM UTC