The Kiskadee is a bird native to Guyana and often referred to in Edgar Mittelholzer's brilliant novel, The Life and Death of Sylvia (1953). The bird is so named because its cry seemed by French colonists to be enquiring: "Qu’ est ce qu’il dit?". So what did he say? This blog is about two key topics: EDGAR MITTELHOLZER (his life and his works) and ME (my encounter with Mittelholzer and tales of life in Guyana).

Wednesday, 3 December 2014

Pomeroon Chips: "Duh Clean-Up Lady"


The heat of the day ran down her face; harassed her. She grimaced, her eyes wide, wide open and reddish from the dust. She hollered: "All a' ya dirty skunts!" All the while trudging through the mound of styrofoam boxes, plastic bottles, discarded food and miscellaneous trash that flanked huge empty industrial bins. Her feet bare, her heels cracked, her skin dry, greyish, spoke of hardship. Spoke of hardiness. Spoke of sheer grit. And while she divided her energies between the hawking of abuse and the scooping up of rubbish, her bright yellow T-shirt bellowed: "My God is an awesome God!"
When I turn to pay Ms Welville G$400 for two bunches of ginep, I am quickly apprised: "Don't mind duh 'clean-up' lady, she mad. Plenty, plenty of dem mad in Charity-Amazonia." I smile, thank her, head toward 'duh clean-up lady', lean left, then right to avoid the darts of yuh-modda's-dis and yuh-modda's-dat. Hand her G$500. See a brief gasp of surprise quick-step into raw indignation. "Yuh got anoda G$500? Is duh all yuh gun give me fuh cleaning dis modda skunt dirty market, is duh all?" And while she bends over to scoop up more rubbish, I briskly sidle away. Scuttle off to my waiting boat, find the first blank page in my little black book and start to scribble: "The heat of the day harassed, ran rivulets down her face..."

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