University of Miami, Coral Gables – 31 March
Sunday Church, Sunday Roast
I
Sunday school.
Where we learned about Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus.
At birth, he already had a title.
Sunday roast!
My mouth juiced-up with saliva at the imagined smell
of Mum’s dinner on the table.
Never chicken –
that was midweek – would it be slicesofwell-donebeefwithYorkshirepud?
Or pork with chewy crackling?
Meat juice
made roast ’taters golden – I dreamed of them as I sang out of tune.
Lamb with mint sauce!
II
Sing Hosanna!
Sing Roast Dinner!
Sing Roast Dinner
To the King of Peas!
Sing Hosanna!
Sing Roast Dinner!
Sing Roast Dinner
To Mushy Peas!
Give me joy in my heart
Give me dumpling
Give me joy in my heart I pray
Give me joy on my plate
Keep me thirsting
Keep me gasping
For apple dumpling all day.
III
Lucky us!
After guitar sing-a-longs and Bible stories, we didn’t have far to run.
Our house was opposite the church.
Apple dumpling –
my fave! Hot and gooey – I shoved a big scoop into my mouth – apple side up.
Then couldn’t pull the spoon out.
Hard choice –
burnt mouth or a bellyfullofappledumplingwithcustard.
The smell went behind my roof, out my nose.
Prayed hard
for God to release me from this pain – and he did speak to me that Sunday –
“Release the apple dumpling!”
It was obvious to me then that God had never tasted apple dumpling,
and I never believed in Sunday school in quite the same way, after that.
From Irki
Sunday afternoon and Mikhaile, a friend of Ludlow’s picked me up from Betty’s beautiful home in North Miami – another friend of Ludlow’s. Very near to the same street, by the way where the ‘Kardashian’s was filmed – and that house is now up for sale for $14 million. Just thought you’d like to know.
Mikhaile and Kadija
The event took place in the Cas Gallery at the University of Miami so we were able to ‘more than glimpse’ students work as they sat up for a graduate show, very impressive artwork.
Professor Edmund Abaka, a Ghanaian was my host for the event. He smiled at every thing I read – and just shook his head – the stories, so familiar. The audience was small but it enabled us to learn lessons for the future and we talked to some of those present of events to participate in if a ‘next time’ occurred e.what to do next – e.g. Mervyn Solomon offered to put us in touch with the organisers of the Miami book fair in November. Yet I sold both copies of Write Black, at this event though – you never know when…
…seems like I will be back in the USA in November, Miami, California, Michigan, at least – St Thomas – to do some research on the links between the island and Sierra Leone island then back to The Gambia for the last week of November for my birthday party. If you can make it, you are welcome to come!