Monday 27 May 2013

Guyanese in British Columbia

Guyanese in British Columbia       

Where do you find a person?
Travelling with dhallpuri and salara from Toronto to Vancouver
And when you reach the host asks you smiling
Where is the sour?

Where will you find whilst crossing the ferry
You over hear someone blasting Indranie
And you notice a plaque later of Mahaica born BC governor
You almost choke like eating sada roti and molasses

Where else could you find?
Shopping in an exotic food store
Madras curry powder and coconut oil
While a Vancouver girl posts on Facebook that she likes moose pepper pot and phoulurie!

Where but a Guyanese in Canada’s far West
Someone addresses you with Uncle and Auntie, abe and ayouh
In the same sentence with you and Mr. without a pause for seawall breeze!
While a teenager tweets a Golden arrowhead hashtag and wants from itunes a Terry Gajrag latest!

Where else in the world will you find such first class mix up
That people take you for a Fijian, Trinidadian, South Asian and British Columbian
French Guianese, Surinamese and British Guianese but not a Guyanese
So to you shout out Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham, we got independence in 1966!

Where else but in the mountainous western horizon
Though with all of this cook-up
You still feel the sweetness like lime swank and sugar top
And it doesn’t make you a lesser Canadian, no matter what

Where else but a Guyanese in BC
Could you have a Muslim mother, a Hindu father and the child going to Church every Sunday bright and early?
All in one street called Highway to Heaven
And you listening on your iPod Dave Martins something Marajin!
Happy 47th Independence Day 2013

Habeeb Alli May 26th 2013 Toronto

Presented at the flag raising ceremony at City Hall Toronto May 24th

No comments:

Post a Comment