A Race To The
Finish.
HOW WELL DO YOU
KNOW YOUR SIBLINGS?
Like the boy who stood up to his Aunt in
defence of his brother, a defiant young
hero fist of steel, and again the big brawl
fight with the children of Gazza, if I am
not mistaken his name is Samuel, that
same boy did not pull any punches in the
reckoning, coming to the aid of his
cousin Myers, later we would call it (Blish
Coco) he had the young man begging on
his knees to stop, he showed his true col-
ours the day he made a mess out of the
Norman brothers, we called it (Show-
down in the school yard) and there was
that day he fails to return to Cannels
bringing back the bottle of Oil to his
grandmother, causing a showdown in
the yard, grandma Leslie would not have
any of that, to make peace between the
two he returns with Grandmother, but
without the bottle of Oil, it was four
weeks later. He used to Race after school
to catch the tractor travelling back to
London Derry from Moreau, for a ride to
his new home in Cannels, it was that or a
gruelling ten-mile walk back to his grand-
mother's home in Cannels, it was the
tractor or his legs.
The woods came alive hopelessly you
panic, peeping through the branches was
a boy carrying an enormous tree branch
on his shoulder, the destination Ma Dar
oven the breadwinner, and yet he was
deprived of a single loaf, sometimes
spent his time at the water's edge trying
for a catch, to which he prepares for his
food. The pot was always empty after
every meal at Ma Dar's place, and if by
chance he was speared a plate someone
would devour it unknowingly.
He collected eggs and tamarind, which
he sold to raise money in which to satisfy
his hunger, dry coconut flowers he
hassle for Ma Dar to find favour with Ma
Dar, for a penny loaf, for breakfast, he
travel up and down the Mahout road,
cultivating a barren land to feed the hun-
ger in a house of fourteen souls, yet that
same boy was often being curse by the
same hands he fed Ma Dar, she wishes
him ill daily saying to him, in her native
language God Will Punish you !, you will
shit little pick Axe.
Oh yes, I do recall many of his exploits,
for yes I was there also for without him I
don’t think I would be here today, the
day he was born, so I pose this question
to you, do you know Lam- bert my
brother, I ask you where does the happy
come into play, let us say he survive to
tell it all, that is his business, for I
thought I knew him well, and yet I did not
know him at all.
Kenvil G Atkins Lewis