23/30 BENE-DICTION

"All them Tobago gyal..." Mighty Sparrow

Yuh dare not come

back from Tobago

with your two hand

swinging jus so;

without a bag-

full of sticky

bene balls,

bene sticks

and cakes bought

at the airport

or at the wharf

from some Tobago

gyul, dark and sweet like

tulum, round and sweet like

a caysa ball, thick and tasty

like a butter ball, bouncing

like a sponge ball, soft

and sweet like a

sponge cake.

Is like a addiction

or some strange bene-

diction

or some blessing

from Mt. St. Bene-

dict,

like open sesame

or life on Sesame

Street;

man, woman and chile,

bring back some bene

balls for we

whey the bene

balls yuh bring for me

as if bene

balls for free.

Get your bene

balls here;

you could suck it,

lick it,

bite it,

chew it,

keep it

in the corner

of your mouth

like a lump

from a gum-

boil

but don't try to swallow

the whole thing whole.

Yuh dare not come

back from Tobago

with your two hand

swinging jus so;

(remember when yuh was small

and your parents come back from town)

man, woman and chile,

every man-jack,

looking out

for their bene-

diction.

©2013 by ©2013 by G Newton V Chance