Pilachi_Sketch [ BLOG ]

Today, as we usually do in the manner taught to me by my mother in the very same way, Ajani and I sat on the bed and made up a story.

Today’s story was based on the word turtle-dove. Here is the basic breakdown:

*****

Matilla the turtledove was hungry, and she loved sunflower seeds above all else. Matilla, was of humble means coupled with a similar understated manner.

Matilla went to visit Madamme Sunflower and asked her whether it was possible to have a few sunflower seeds to help her keep the hunger at bay until the pangs of tommorrow presented a challenge to be resolved at that time. Today, afterall, was all she really had to be concerned about. Tommorrow would, after all, take care of itself.

Madamme Sunflower knew that Matilla was a gentle soul; but felt a strong sense of urgency to understand Matilla’s limitations, and help her to overcome what could be a craving–which in a time of desperation– could become problematic, and above all else, systematic.

“Matilla,” asked Madamme Sunflower, “am I to understand that you are hungry in earnest? or are you simply craving the taste of my ever-so-=delectable sunflower seeds?”

Matilla felt ashamed of her feelings, and could not bring herself to say what the thunderstorm in her stomach was ever so ready to convey without refinement.

“This is what I will ask of you Matilla,” said Madamme Sunflower. “I notice that many of your friends are also quite hungry, and some the people in your community are also quite ruthless as a result. To be entirely sure of who you are and what your sincere wish is, I will ask you to gather for me, a few ingredients. From these ingredients, we shall make ‘tortillas.’ This after all, is my task for today.
Matilla [ma-tee-ya] had never ever heard of a tortilla [tor-tee-ya], even though she grew up in Andalucia [an-da-luu-see-ya], a province of Espana [es-pan-ya].

“A tortilla is made with eggs, flour, water and salt.” [in its simplest permutation] said Madamme Sunflower. “So I would like to ask you to gather these ingredients for me.”

The first ingredient I need is a “perfect golden oval opalescent egg.” Read more

“Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage.”

Ever so profound. Ever so befitting. Ever so tired.

I could be smashing pumpkins.

It is in the eleventh hour of preparing this book–our first official, authentic, full fledged publication–that the gravity of my mother’s brilliance has really hit me.

In a sense, she is like yoda… no… more like Obi-one (obiwan) Kanobi… [ from Star Wars] teaching young Luke Skywalker in life, then gently guiding him in his path to enlightnment, while encouraging him not to fall prey to the darkside, as his father and her [Obi wan's] partner did before.

“Use the force Luke… you have always had it in you.” - Obiwan

So the point. Read more

By Allison Hickling
published: Tuesday | October 9, 2007

The Editor, Sir:

We are very disturbed by recent reports in the news about violent assaults against women. We do not know the victims personally or the counter allegations of those accused. All we know is that tomorrow, the day after and many more to come, countless women across Jamaica will be battered and bruised by abusive hands.

One of them will be your daughter, your sister, your mother, your friend. One of them might be you. It will be said that some of these women ‘deserve’ it. No woman - and for that matter, no man or child - has ever earned the cruelty of being so mercilessly violated by another human.

Too often, the perpetrators are protected by the complicit silence of family, friends and a far too lenient legal system, leaving the serial abuse of women undocumented and unpunished. How many more victims have to come so close to death for this injustice to finally end?

At the very least, we must continue to publicly expose cases of abuse. We must dispense with the notion that women’s rights are negotiable. We must seek treatment for those who beat women. And we must work to ensure that victims of violence are never denied a voice, a fair trial, a life of peace.

The impact of abuse goes much further than its physical or emotional effect on women; it slows our progress as a nation by eroding the values of our children, fuelling our crime rates and affecting our productivity. Our silence on this issue, our continued tolerance of abuse and our failure to act in the face of injustice hurt us all.

I know that I should be working and not writing here… but sometimes, you just have to do what is required… even if it goes against what people want, like, think or prefer.

It is for this reason that, I have to say “big up” to Allison, Anna Kaye, Kerry, Rejeanne, Racquel, Renee, Sir (aka Mrs. Morgan), Clare, Valerie Neita, Auntie Margarette… Charrah Watson… and the list goes on… for standing up for what they and we all believe in: basic human rights, equally guaranteed to all without regard to race, class, gender, sex, preference or disposition.

Specifically, I have to say congratulations to my wife Allison, for breaking the silence [ that pervades our society and threatens the humanity of our culture ]. Writing this letter (on behalf of the group of very concerned women) was a very emotional process for her; so especially for her strength and courage, I commend her for writing about abuse.

Letter to the Editor in the Jamaica Gleaner | October 9 2007

Her letter to the editor will be published today in the Gleaner (maybe also in the Observer). She does not like when people draw attention to her… so with love and respect… I fly in the face of what is expected of me.

[ Not in an abusive way though. ]
Allison… BIG UP!

Crunch time.  No more blogging for a wee bit.