Black Friday Groundings

Sign which was on bag which was used to lay out the books

The rain was drizzling but I keep my fingers cross dat it was drizzling.  I see de police outpost and den i see a lady stooping down and ketching a pee not far from de place where Lina and me plan fuh do we Groundings.

A man holler at de  lady to move just as she was fixing she clothes and she holler "Arite ah done, ah done" and she gone before we were about to start.

We had de option of de Demico Shed where I see Lina buy a Malta and it sound like a nice idea, but I had this desire after seeing the lady peeing to also go and be mad right out there. Instead of peeing in the wind though, I was going to read/spit in the wind.

Breeze was nice. Weather was nice. No rain, no hot sun.

We take out books and sign and so.

Lina put her malta bottle down on the ground while she stand up with Rodney books in hand like how Jehovah Witnesses stand up with Awake! and Watchtower magazines.


A man pick up the bottle and walk away and she try to say, but I aint done wid it and I try to say gyurl, exactly.

Raydha come up wid two books.  A lady take two books, including one for her grandchild. A man take two books as well.

A girl come up who was a history student.

I hang me umbrella on de barricade dat protecting de police space from de rest of we. Dat umbrella stay dere de whole time and nobody aint pick it up.


My Friend send this book for me from the US and I had it with me. Since we were thinking of Rodney, I had the book and a girl who know Raydha take it as she think it will work with Law.


I was focused on the free books give away thing.. it was supposed to be a book swap but it was nice to see pick up the books. Like the boy who look at the two romance dramas and then took one.

Somebody asked if we had any Rodney books to give away.. and Maybe next time we should get sponsors for some photocopies and share them out.

Another man pass and I ask him if he know Rodney. He said yes, Rodney used to teach him at North Georgetown. The man is one who helps clean the place so mebbe it was a different Rodney. Another lady said she remembered as a child when Rodney 'get blow up'.



So we all decide to read aloud. I apologise to Martin Carter as I start to butcher the poems.. and people passing like my head not good.  Lina and Simone and Shaquille doing a great job of gaffing with school children and others.

People shouting at de goals in Brazil upstairs at Demico deh.

Simone go and read This is a Dark Time my love to a police man.


Some of them glad to read. One of the boys who just finish writing exams said yes yes.. he remember a Martin Carter poem from a blue book, something about window and so. He look for it in the book we had but could not find it.

There were two QC students.. quiet looking coolie boys who agreed to read. I remembered how in my days at Bishops and QC how marginalised the quiet coolie boys were when it came to things like reading and speaking because accents and language were not good . Yep.. Walter was an articulate debater. I hope these guys keep reading and talking.

There were the girls.. the young girl who turned back and asked about the books. And the other girl with her grandmother.  I wanted to ask the grandmother if she remember Rodney and if she ever went to his meetings.  So we had black and coolie chirren reading from Rodney .

A woman said she only knows about Rodney from the TV so I ask Charlene to explain who Rodney was.

The free books went quick..  A man see the bag lying on the ground and turn back like if to pick it up. I seh , tinking bout Lina malta dat was no longer her own .. dat is me own..

We gaff..we agree yeah. next time.. more books and bigger .