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
