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Is Six of Us My Mother Did Have
Camele-Ann White self-translated from Jamaican Patois by the poet first sister gone a foreign she no bother with nobody. second sister find one man to marry never work a day enough kids (jacket and full suit) you send dollars come for shoes and school fee or push one change in hand to buy ice cream and bag juice third sister tief one other woman kid and raise him as her own. the next one, chuh she rude, she rude, she rude, she rude, she rude so til when she ready, she curse you, say you will dead and leave everything for you three kids (then no who else you must leave them for?) next sister only call when she come with her palm open mind, you have to call her back for she no have no credit is beg she going to beg you to sponsor her kid and if you know one thing name “community college” she could pay to send one whole town of kids to university and her kid bright, win scholarship cover everything down to marina and kerchief but lord, she cheap would have charged her own mother for her birth last sister is the wash belly them all call her for everything come like she is them mother cuya! is you a the last sister me sorry for you |
A Six A Wi Mi Madda Did Hav
Camele-Ann White fus sista de a fahren she nuh badda wi nuhbaddy. second wan fine wan man fi marry har neva wuk a day hav nuff pickney (jacket an full suit) yuh sen dollas com fi shoe an skuul fee ar push wan change inna han fi buy ice cream an bag juice tird sista tiif wan nudda uman pickney an raise im fi har own. de nex wan, chuh im rude, im rude, im rude, im rude, im rude so til wen im reddy, im cuss yuh seh yuh gwan dead lef evryting fi yuh tree pickney dem (den nuh who else yuh fi lef dem fah?) nex sista only call wen she a com wi har palm opin mine, yuh haffi call har back fuh she nuh hav nuh credit a beg she a go beg yuh fi sponsa har kid an if yuh knuo wan ting wat name “community college” she cudda pay fi sen wan whole town a pickney fi go university an har kid bright, win scholarship covva evryting down to marina an kerchief but lawd, she cheap woulda charge har own madda fi har birt las sista a de wash belly dem all call har fi evryting com laik she a dem madda cuya! a yuh a de las sista me sorry fi yuh |
An Afro-Caribbean woman, Camele-Ann White was born in Jamaica, and immigrated to the United States as a child. Camele-Ann has written, choreographed, and directed dance and theatre productions, and has worked as a teaching artist, arts administrator, and attorney. She holds a BA in Film Studies from Yale University, and a JD/MBA from UCLA. Her poem, ‘The Gaze,’ was published in As/Us Literary Journal. Camele-Ann resides in New York, and is a lifelong lover of poetry, speculative fiction, dance, and musical theatre.
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