Hurricane Blues

Linton Kwesi Johnson

langtime lovah
mi mine run pan yu all di while
an mi membah how fus time
di two a wi come een-it did seem
like two shallow likkle snakin stream
mawching mapless hapless a galang
tru di ruggid landscape a di awt sang

an a soh wi did a gwaan
sohtil dat fateful day
awftah di pahan a di hurricane
furdah dan imaginaeshan ar dream
wi fine wiself lay-dung pan di same bedrack
flowin now togedah as wan stream
ridin sunlime tru love lavish terrain
lush an green an brite awftah di rain
shimmarin sid glttahrin eyes
glowin in di glre a di smilin sun

langtime lovah
mi feel blue fi true wen mi tink bout yu
blue like di sky lingahrin pramis af rain
in di leakin lite in di hush af a evenin twilite
wen mi membah how fus time
di two a wi come een- it did seem
like a lang lang rivah dat is wide an deep

sometime wi woz silent like di langwidge a rackstone
some time wi woodah sing wi rivah sang as wi a wine a galang
sometime wi jus cool an caam andah plenty shady tree
sometime sawfly lappin bamboo root as dem swing an sway
sometime casadin carefree doun a steep gully bank
sometime turbulent in tempament wi flood wi bank
but weddah ebb ar flow tru rain tru drout
wi nevah stray far fram love rigid rout

ole-time sweet-awt
up till now mi still cyann andanstan
ow wi get bag doun inna somuch silt an san
rockston debri lag-jam
sohtil wi ad woz fi flow wi saparet pawt
now traversin di tarrid terran a love landscape
runnin fram di polueshan af a cantrite awt
mi lang fi di marvelous miracle a hurricane
fi carry mi goh a meetin stream agen
lamentid mi saltid fate
sohmizin seh it too late