Sylvia Wynter's Dream

It’s how are you doing, I am fine; not waah gwaan, me good; It’s good morning, not mawnin; see you later, not lata; a boy like you grow with little manners; smile when you’re greeting; did we sleep together last night?; Lift the edges of your mouth, puff up your cheeks a little; not too much teeth, better yet, no teeth at all; hope you know your book as much as you know that song, what year did Portia retire?, You don’t know?, but you remember what year they locked up Vybz Kartel; – look like you need somebody to put you in your place- don’t slouch, stand up, stand straight; speak well; this dancehall thing is pure violence; braff? chop? bup inna fu head?; the word is not dat, it’s that; pronounce the T H –th(e), not di; there is no G in handle and please I beg you, add the H; the pot doesn’t have an angle; add the H, drop the H; my heart gets heavy every time your ed start eart you; how you get a grade one in English when you talk like that?; you cheat, you liar, you low down disgrace; keep lying, I don’t believe you; maybe every one else is easy to fool; thank God they don’t ask you to read the answers out loud; thank God they didn’t hear you speak; you did six subjects but you failed one; two grade one 3 grade three; no distinctions, no science- you weren’t going to be a doctor anyway- you pass 5 subjects, but how will you land a job?; you can’t talk, you can’t communicate, you can’t make money; you giving speech at graduation?, you trying to kill me off I bet; you come to raise my pressure -tell them no, you can’t embarrass yourself- just collect your cerfiticate, do the smile and nod your head, they don’t need you for no thank you speech; they only want to laugh at me; if you’re determined to do it, remember speak clearly, not too loud; a boy like you refuse to stop speak the brawling patois; we changed your environment, provided a better education -take the boy out of the bush but can’t take the bush out of the boy- you nah go nowhere, you no see?; the one language you exposed to and you can’t speak it?