Potential and Promises Back in de day... That's what dem mature people like to say Chile you ain't know what you have now What I would give to be in your shoes today The wasted opportunities you take for granted that I hungered for in my youth Bowed down with familial responsibility which left me a primary school dropout Helping ma cook and care for she five pickney and extended family The pain of a girl chile working and toiling in the cane fields Then relegated to homemaking My stifled dreams, not even my husband knows to this day Raising our children to be a mighty generation Leaves me feeling like I was only the mode of incubation Does my voice not matter? My potential and promise extinguished What hope do I have now when wrinkles crinkle my smile, wise eyes and tired hands? The unrealized potential and promise fades as the light in my eyes With the end near, they wither with every failing breath No one knows my potential for if given a redo in this generation Oh goodness gracious, hold on for this epic detonation with no limitations I would be a force to be reckoned with Accolades, honours and celebration doesn't matter Discovering the truest me is the realest honour

Growing up as a Trini Was as coulourful as can be From Carnival to Holi, Eid and Emancipation Such are the celebrations of our great twin island nation None can compare to the beautiful and unique flair That makes thousands flock to our shores for a glimpse of paradise Music, dance, people, street food and places All tantalize and hypnotize the masses A cultural explosion, the mix of races and religions Temples, masjids and churches open to those willing to answer the spiritual call in their respective parishes Thankful to my family and school life for aiding my tolerance, respect and education Making me jump for joy at celebrating our rich heritage and tradition Unlike the select few who would meltdown and experience a conniption I remember the sweet melodies of Pan in de Square, Scounting for Talent, Mastana Bahar and televised World Cup qualifying matches Goat races and great races have everyone on their edges And if you ever have to wonder, then you definitely need to try Pelau, roti, doubles, bake and shark and macaroni pie, Oil down, callaloo and the stews Not only to be enjoyed at Sunday lunches but the ideal meal for beach limes too With Saturdays designated for soups Best enjoyed with community groups Our natural diversity is easily identified Being a Trini goes deep and seeps into your pores if you spend enough time with one From the vibrant nightlife in Port of Spain, to the beautiful rainforest of the Northern Range, To the epic Pitch Lake at La Brea and the famous Waterloo Temple in the Sea, To the Devil's Wood Yard Mud Volcano in Princes Town Or just enjoying the water ferry to our sister isle from Town For a foray at Store Bay or Pigeon Point then to hop on a glass bottom boat For snorkeling and sea-bathing is de ting Forth George is a must, not forgetting the famous Caroni Bird Sanctuary and Little Tobago Home to our graceful Scarlet Ibis, Cocrico and precious flora and fauna Trinidad and Tobago is truly a gem…a nature-lover's wonder The ultimate Caribbean treasure An indescribable melting pot of sister nations, each holding their own Independence Day and Republic Day reignite our fiery patriotism The National Pledge, Anthem and National Song Said and sung reverently from preschooler to senior ‘Here
every
creed
and
race
find
an
equal
place, And May God bless our Nation'

The days fly past on our calendars Mindful or mindless...it all depends on our inner recalibrations January to December 2024 is now a vivid video reel of cinematic or apoplectic experiences Firing up the sceptics and raving sentimentalists Days, weeks and months that once filled us with anxiety and anticipation Are now behind us in reflection, appreciation or trepidation for 2025 Time and change...the only constants Our behaviours... the distinguishing variables of life's experiments A blaring reality check to our mortality, vitality and capability Supplemented with faith, drive, grace, sheer will, determination AND ACTION To conquer the fear, loneliness and inner saboteur Adds milestones in personal and professional germination with grandeur For that leap into the unknown is the greatest test of your purpose You know it...that internal compass which reveals your greatest click Deep breaths, small steps, revise and return to your vision and dream Sculpt and mould every decision with laser like precision You owe it to yourself to question the who's, why's, how's and when's Discernment at it's finest on the best fitting end No regrets at those who crossed paths All there for seasons and lessons Take it in stride as you leap and bound but never let ego and pride hound You are worth it however many times you have to remind yourself Let your actions embolden, empower and envelope you To be, do, think and live kinder as we navigate life in trial and error Reveals the best and most honourable character

Politics or poli-tricks It's on everybody's lips Who's who on social media And who can deliver Those long-awaited general election promises That you only hear once every 5 years Like a stuck record On those sweet politicians' lips Shoddy road works, basic utilities, raging food prices All fall on deaf ears to be entertained with local poli-tricks And you never can tell when you're getting the short end of the stick It's only when you put the ‘x' Then you get vex Making you see that the fanatic support was all for naught Because you were sadly bought with empty big talk Warring sides boasting about manifestos and deliverables When corruption rages like a wild bush fire Eating up the small man taxpaying dollar Where has the money gone? Have everyone in a quandary To try and find out these Officials' level of squandering No beds in hospitals, no jobs for graduates Poor people suffering Whilst them Ministers rising Higher and higher up the income-earning ladder Forgetting who selected, supported and elected them The news headlines blaring about whose pockets filling And contracts awarding to family members and those paying top dollar A vicious never ending cycle with every term served More like service to themselves Can you tell me is this what a countryman deserves? Well from schooldays to now They teach me from 18 years of age to exercise my franchise But I get weary Watching and waiting for new cast members to emerge To take up a difference-making role From a bald head to a full hair of head to bald head again A continuous circle I see with little to no gain After years of yeoman service of nothing to show but pain

Like the gnawing of the starving mosquito on my sun parched chapped skin The pain in my head goes on and on The memories, oh the memories My childhood, my layoff, the sudden passing of Trudy the only thing that loved me and I sort of devotedly loved back...if I could understand what love was With my experience of the mangy neighbour's mutt who begged for scraps next to the dilapidated children's home Which was my penitentiary for 15 years before it spat me out and left me dry like Neighbour Chinee's clean laundry on a hot school vacation day Maybe I am not built for that ‘love' capacity because everyone I meet is just like this Trini weather Dry, hazy and never around when you need a lil filling up when under the weather Oh the memories…my desertion...my desolation like a second skin I hatefully wear Nobody knows how it is to be invisible in a sea of people Imagine me in Port of Spain, the grandest city in Trinidad but nobody knows who I am I was once one of those dapper and dandy office workers churning out projects even before deadlines Awards and accolades heaped upon me and brightly decorating my spaces Government ministers lining up to shake my hand...now look where I am!! Look where that put me...a big NOBODY! This invisibility cloaks and haunts me daily A cardboard box, carton of cigarettes, stale bread wrapped in a torn paper towel and a creased photo of my Trudy are my fixed assets My mental capacity as an accountant still thrives on despite the despondency COVID...you have treated me so badly…taken from me over and over...a stumble, a fall, a wreck and then DEATH Oh the pain...those painful memories of losing my Trudy to your wrathful vengeance COVID The downward spiral as the hurt and pain bled over and over…a wound that could never heal…only to be satisfied with some numbing cocaine That's my fix...oh it does wonders! The quiet psychedelic escapade from this harsh reality and my everlasting companion in this wretched weather I have to laugh at life yes...the karmic circle of smirking at the vagrant sleeping on that hard chipped concrete Oh God my overbearing countenance, my luck, my life, my joy all wiped out in a swoop Look at me now...fighting for turf in that same place…that same business stoop Rain or sunshine it's all the same...just me, my cigarette and a lil cocaine watching the days go out and in again and again How much can one endure when your best friend and confidante just shakes his head in dread when your eyes meet With a small change thrown by my feet making it like it's a treat You know you could have stopped and talked...yet all you do is tip your chin up and walk Past me...past my new deodorant that has that nose of yours tingling...eau de Street...the new perfume of my life Bath time a luxury I can no longer afford until this wretched rain falls These darn mosquitoes keep buzzing in my ear the only companions to venture near My bloodshot eyes tell voluminous tales If one could ever look past this dreary shadow that is me A brother in arms, best friend, husband and lover are all labels I would contentedly wear if I could have a life do-over Never say never But now in this harsh reality all I can be is a wretched, despondent, invisible street-dweller