Sun | Nov 10, 2024

Poem

Published:Friday | June 12, 2015 | 12:00 AM

 

'Pickneying'

Mothers it appears

make pacts with God and the Devil

simultaneously to ensure the successful future of their children

The Devil is any enemy

even friend that Mother does not like a bone of, but for her child

She will smile, even compromise

Taking a glimpse at the column by Professor Cooper

embracing the "bright" and the "BRIGHT" in the Jamaican usage

combining the "intelligent" and even "out of order" mechanisms to put food on the plate

Mothers it appears

will push this "pickneying" to the limit

partnering with partners

lay down her life

lay down

private school fees

prostrate in prayer

clothing needs in sickness and pain

begging the question

where are "those" fathers again?

- Helen-Ann Elizabeth Wilkinson