Slumber nae too soundly

Slumber nae too soundly ere that limpid, insiduous beast of darkness should slither 'cross the threshold of thine doorway and do away with the goodness that resides within thine heart.
Blissful sleep doth oft repair the worries and hurts of the wakeful hours, but in the comforting arms of sleep the soul lays bare and open to the torments of the beast.

Thus I plead with thee to leave no room for trespass unto these thine sacred grounds...for one can never truly trust the dark to succor or protect thee from its evil grasp.

We are but wilted flowers in the path of its ill mannered altruisms and demonic persuasions.
For in slumber the beast takes hold of our meek and pliable will and bends it as butter freshly churned.
And like lambs to the proverbial slaughter we meekly tread, all the while knowing of the horrors that lay ahead.

Bah! Fie! I say unto this beast; get thee hence and away from my sight ere I summon the wrath of the gods upon thine head.
I shall call forth the winds from the four corners of the earth to flatten thee down to thine knees.
I shall wake the waters of the oceans to wash thee away as in the time of Noah and his great ark.
I shall cause the sun to scorch thine head so that it would shrivel and aught that would remain of it would be burnt remnants...

Alas, these are but words of bluster, filled with righteous indignation, made up of naught but hot and gaseous airs.
For I am aware in my deepest most secret soul of souls that at the onset of the first shadow of darkness, quivering I shall lay in the thrall of the threat of the beasts' imminent arrival to the doorway of my peaceful reveries.
Thus shall the nightly megrims be brought about as the liquid dark struggles to possess my very essence.

Thus it is with heavy heart and dragging step that I trudge toward the scene of my ultimate vanquishing.
Mayhap this eve my whispered pleas will at last be heard, allowing me to rest unencumbered while embraced by blissful carefree dreams...
Mayhap the beast shall rest this eve....

Living in Paradise

Living in Paradise is not all it's cracked up to be. There's the heat, the constant humidity. There's the unfair practices at the workplace. There's sexual harassment and abuse. There's the belief that women are substandard...Or just plain "fair game" and that we should "take that and cool it". Well I've had it! I'm tired, worn, weary, washed out and fed up with it already. The Caribbean woman is the center of the household, and whether or not she applied for the job, she somehow gets handed the "woman's work". "Woman's work" usually entails anything in the house beyond the front door. If a sock goes missing, she should know where it is. If a stomach is growling it is her duty to fill it. If the floor needs sweeping/mopping, well...I won't digress further. Suffice to say that all the bill paying, cleaning, cooking, washing or anything that goes on in the home is her job. The children's faith, education, etiquette and manners are to be taken care of by her, and if she should have difficulties in dealing with them, well then, that was her choice, wasn't it?The man goes to work, comes home, flops down on the sofa/bed/hammock and expects that his mate should manage everything that goes on in the home. Regardless of whether she herself works or not. His meals are to be cooked and served (don't even think of him going near that kitchen stove or sink. A broom? What in God's name is that? "Woman! You see me look like a maid?" This ritual it seems has been handed down through the generations, and has somehow been ingrained into the Caribbean Woman's psyche. I know firsthand, because you see, I am a Caribbean woman. You somehow end up feeling guilty if something goes wrong in the household. There is a burden that is carried on our shoulders as though a cross to suffer, yet we compliantly go along with it, why? Why should we be humble and meek and not stand up for our rights? Don't get me wrong now, I love St. Maarten. I love the beauty of the Caribbean and her peoples. There is an inexplicable joy in the day to day lives of the average Caribbean person (usually more pronounced around carnival time) and we are a people with playful mischievousness in our blood, which can be gleaned from our music, literature and basic way of life. Life could be so much better if we could get our (in)significant others to rise up to the challenge: Be a "Caribbean (wo)MAN!!!!