A woman of Roseau

Hi friends

it's been a while since i actively blogged... to be honest, i've been focusing more on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/DelroyNesta) but i've got some new stuff that i am working on, some of which i will also share here... This is a new poem (wrote it last night), inspired by an image I saw as I was driving through the streets of Roseau after i came from a poetry show (Lyrics Under The Stars):

A woman of Roseau
By Delroy Nesta Williams

I'm sorry but there's nothing innocent
About a woman walking through Roseau's streets at 2:00am
With the confidence of sanitary napkins in her steps
Because her bank account is just a little more swollen than the belly of her teenage daughter
Who's about to make her a grandmother
She got paid for that transaction
And even got a little extra
To spread her own legs
It's bad enough she sold her child
Now she's also riding shotgun at the molester's side
Tomorrow she can afford to cook all her children Sunday lunch
And even have extra to cover supper.
As her high heels hit the pavement
Rhythmic like a Triple Kay drum set
You realize there's another story behind her swinging assets
One of a woman fooled by men that she loved
As one by one they promised her the world
But one by one, the left... Leaving only remnants of their presence
A gift of some sorts that continues to give back
Because now instead of one generation
Her tiny, almost broken down shack
Houses children, grandchildren and even boyfriends
You look into her eyes and you see a lifetime of hurt and pain
A woman stained like the clothes of a farmer who toils the soil planting bananas and plantain
But the cargo boats are long gone
And her fruits are still on the port
Bathing in the hot, dry sun
A consignment of rejects
Dropouts of schools and fired from jobs
Because they've got no qualifications
So this woman has the Earth and Mars to shoulder
And I can only guess how she makes it from one day to another
But her midnight walk only gives us a clue
As to why this woman doesn't sleep when we do
Why she plies her trade when the owls howls
And only the barking dogs and crowing cocks summon the sunrise
If you look closely you will see the fear in her eyes
Because her offspring may just pick up her calling
They're already mimicking her tendencies
Being fooled by the first dude who speaks of love
It's a vicious cycle that won't be stopped
Because a child can't raise a child to be a woman
That mathematics doesn't add up
So she just adapts
And the children just adopt
Because to her it has become second nature
But now it's 3:00am
And she's home
But she can't go to bed
She's got so many things running through her head
Got to cook, clean and basically do everything
Be the man, woman and sometimes even the child
A household running wild
And it's so sad to know
That this shit is happening right next door!