Amina Blackwood Meeks, ContributorDear Cousin into Farin:
DE TIME is ripe for you to come home. Dis was revealed to me in a good ole fashion Bible days dream, de one dem use to call vision.
Yu ever have plenty tings on yu mind an jus cyaan figure dem out an den yu go to bed an baps, Angel appear unto yu wid de rightful way how it is written an behole, yu wake up an ketch de rake? I don't mean rake fe go tell de Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission. It is not even a broomrake fe go rake up de yard nor is it something fe ring a bell an go tell de whole worl. As a matter of fack, it reveal in de dream dat pretty soon dere shall be no use for such symbols as bells an brooms. Behold de one-party state cometh. Tribalism is done. De headman fe de broom. People is going to talk to de headman fe bell people an de headman fe de bell people is going to talk garrison.
Into my waking I did tink dat was a new language. So ah start to wonder how it soun. As you know some people language is a series of high pitch soun so I start wonder if garrison language is a series of low, heavy, booming soun or a series of soun like some dutchpot cover drop in rapid succession and mek noise pan concrete. Bangarang-garang-garang-garanggggg!
Fun an joke aside, I was mistaken. I seet into book dat a garrison is a body of troops stationed at a military post . When yu garrison a place yu fortify it from attacks from de outside an who inside get supplies fe mek dem nuh have no need fe come out. So I was tinking dat if 'Merica an England have any sense dem wudda garrison we, jus sen everyting we want come gi we, den dem wudden haffe worry fe a print up visa form an screen people, an have de expense fe put dem chu
homeland security an de problem fe deport dem when dem beat up de system.
MEETING OF THE HEADMEN
Now I have to advise you dat is not de first time dese two headman is going to have a table talk. As soon as de bell people man get fe him official bell him did start to demands meeting, local, national and regional. One time me did hear him utter something like ef when him go to regional meeting dem do not teck him proposal seriously dutchpot cover is going to mek acquaintance wid concrete. I was under de impression dat a proposal is a ting dat could get accep or rejeck, but it nuh look so again. Looks like whatever Lola wants Lola gets or is de pot cover business an to avoid dat we jus have a big party, feel like jumping, yea, yea.
Anyways back to de garrison story. Legend has it dat once upon a time not so long ago some ordinary people bearing neida broom nor bell did concern enough bout de said ting fe coalition up demself an go ask de headman fe broom people fe gi dem a talk bout violence and garrison an Wolfe an Carr. Dem mussi never know how fe fling pat cover a grung, for low an behole de headman fe de broom People have de meeting what dem did call for wid some odda people who never did call fe it. Legend further state dat de findings of dis meeting never get very far because dem never know what dem was suppose to fine. De coalition people haffe stan up certain legal distance from de meeting place all de better to hinder dem from hear one whisper what was being spoken of in dere.
A MENTAL ISSUE
An dat is de ting about garrison. As I see it, garrison is a mentality, a way of doing tings fe kip out people, de ones dem describe as 'ordinary' people, kip dem into dem place. Sometimes it come in like dem direckly a show ordinary people seh dem nuh know de half bout certain tings. If a so, den mek who know garrison talk it den. We having enough problems wid two language as it stands an proclamation dun read seh we head nuh have space fe hole a next one.
But is not dese two headman wan have garrison into dem head or pan dem head or wherever dem have it. Odda else people have it, dem jus call it de Marketplace.
Dem section off de market an dem troops line up backa dem. In one section, one set a troops wave one kinda phone an de nex section wave anedda kine an de troops dem fight fe dominion into dat section. In annedda section red bakkle juice square off gains green bakkle juice. An a so it a go. But it have nuff casualty.
Mass Bush wudda call it collateral damage as a result of friendly fire. It mean sey people a hate dem wan anedda an a ded fe smaddy who fah head bigga dan dem can claim de dominance of fe dem produck as fe dem share of de marketplace. Dat is a garrison business.
It inna we culture. Is jus dat sometimes it come into high heel shoes an stocking or jacket an tie on de cocktail circuit an a next time it come in banner headlines bout people who do not cock dere tails in ballrooms and boardrooms. Dat is not a easy truth fe reconcile weself to, the hypocrisy and multiple standards that create garrisons in our collective mentality and keep us tribalised.
But we mekking progress.
De whole a we dun reconcile weself to de fack dat de police wudden dare detain a minista of govament for dem have betta sense dan dat an no amount a money can buy good judgement. An de police sey dem reconcile demself dat extortion get run outa May Pen an derefore could not have been a motive for de death of anyone. An we reconcile weself to de fack seh de headman fe information look inna we face an tell we seh dem tekking steps to declare all illegal activities dat was hidden for umpteen years like how certain people get pension and doan tell nubaddi or how certain letters were misunderstood an we is jus to tenkful dat now we know.
An is dat is de bigges clue dat we going to have one party in dis state. Into de dream it come in like bellman and broomman doing de same dance pan de like-it-or-lump-it riddim wid de take-it-or-leave-it label and people jus a dance an naw watch de lyrics.
Come home, Cousin, dere's a party in session going on all night over next door.
Till such time, keep it locked.
Cousin Jing Bang.
