Ah remember mih initial feelings when ah take de magazine out mih pardnah hand. It had ah quiet glossiness an heftiness dat hinted at professionalism. Orn de cover was ah picture of de late Óscar Arístides Renta Fiallo, better known in de fashion industry as Oscar de la Renta. Even eef yuh not into fashion dat name an face familiar. Is over 50 years he was up dey wid de women ah high fashion designin clothes fuh dem tuh wear. Mih assumption about de magazine was immediate.

Ah flip it open. De pictures confirmed mih sense of professionalism. In mih mind ah tryin tuh figure out what dis magazine had tuh do wid mih pardnah, far less me.

Ah look at him wid mih eyebrow raise. He smile an tell mih is ah Trini magazine name CariVele.

Ah flip back tuh look at de cover.

Still glossy.

Ah heft it.

Still weighty.

Outside was too cold fuh mih pardnah tuh have mih travel all where he was tuh be kicksin.

Ah open de magazine again fuh ah closer look. De pictures wanted tuh leap orf de pages. De articles’ slant was Caribbean. Why Oscar de la Renta orn de cover? Mih pardnah point out de man born in de Dominican Republic.

In mih younger days, I eh had no game when it did come tuh females. Not living in T&T made it wuss. So ah started tuh read what ah tort women was interested in. It actually help me when de odd woman decide why not tork tuh mih. Dat was how ah did get tuh know lil bit about fashion magazines. If it did have CariVele magazine back den it would ah be orn mih readin list. Wasn’t it ah First World magazine like dem udders? So dey ah was, examinin dat same polished magazine. Dat it was produced in Triniland only make it shine more.

What mih pardnah wanted mih tuh do was see de magazine cause he was lookin fuh mih tuh write ah article fuh its next edition comin out fuh T&T’s 50^th anniversary ah independence.

Well, dat edition just come out, as in dis month—November 2015. It not hardcopy but ah electronic version.

Keepin de focus orn content, I eh see no difference between what I had in mih hand three years ago an what ah see orn mih computer screen. I not ah connoisseur ah high fashion magazines but, I know dis magazine up dey wid de best.

Now dat ah tink about it more, it not just ah fashion magazine. Its additional qualities make de glimpses it provide into Caribbean life an culture more realistic an informative.

Eef ah orn point wid everyting so far den why I get de feelin de magazine scruntin left right an center? All dem ads in it cyar be free. What de publishers have tuh do fuh dis slice ah West Indian finery tuh get tuh de level where I fuh one tink it should be?

Investment? More subscribers? How many Trinis even know dey country does produce such ah magazine? What would it take fuh dem tuh flock tuh it in droves claimin dey was always fans? Doh tell mih dat it have tuh get critical acclaim outside de region first nah. Dat go just get mih damn vex.

In de spirit ah openness, dis lil rant eh have nuttin tuh do wid any article I have in dis belated edition. As ah matter ah fact, de edition is still commemorative an full ah articles coverin ah wide spectrum of tings Trinbago, penned by ah range ah writers.

As ah next matter ah fact, I pay fuh mih own subscription so eef any money parsin hands it goin de rong way.

Of course yuh cyar have ah successful magazine an be years late wid yuh seminal edition. An from what ah see, eef it did come out when due it would ah kill dem dead.

I ole school when it come tuh my magazines, ah like tuh touch an feel, flip pages back an fort. However, not being no Luddite, ah could find mih way arong ah online magazine provided ah crash course in rocket science not ah prerequisite. Tuh me dat was ah requirement here buh since is de first e-edition, I ready tuh give de publisher ah parse. No more dan one cause once ah pay fuh someting I doh want tuh pay again by havin tuh figure how tuh use it. Ah not dat loyal.

Navigation aside, because dat easy tuh fix, why CariVele not de tork ah de country?

Why?

Is it because we supposedly does want too much ting fuh free an does vex when we get tell no, tuh pay? Ah almost add, like everybody else, buh how many people we does see payin when we look arong? Is dat why de magazine eh reach? Is it even part ah de reason why?

I always hearin tings online going viral. Dis have it own Facebook page, why it eh gorn viral too or yet?

How about we doh manage tings good? Dat is me sometimes oui. Nobody cyar manage ting in dey head better dan me. So what eef ah doh have ah contingency plan or ah Plan B? Is de same ting wid CariVele?

What udder possibilities it have as tuh why dis magazine scruntin or look like it is?

Ah hearin voices sayin ah high fashion magazine cyar survive where it have so many people focused orn makin ends meet. While udder places wid CariVele-type magazines have dey own poor people, de voices say, it have enough who not ketchin dey nennen tuh engage in de fantasies dem magazines promote.

Ah cyar argue dat.

Maybe de answer den is tuh lower de bar so ah smaller subscription base would mean de magazine is ah hit. Buh who go get tuh decide how low dat bar should be? Why should any bar dat suppose tuh define success get lowered anyways?

What eef de focus change so de magazine get discovered outside de region like ah mention before? Someting tell mih in dat case ah go indeed have tuh get damn vex. People who previously couldn’t afford CariVele, eef yuh did buy dat argument in de first place, go be engagin in de fantasies dey find when dey start buyin it.

Eef was my magazine an it stay online, I would let people buy one edition an not have tuh subscribe fuh ah whole year. Ah would even promise issues on time.

Steups oui.

All dis analysis not necessary nah. De facts simple: De Caribbean have dis A List product dat deserve tuh be tops in everyting. It need public support an marketin tuh go wid what it already tops in. But tings not right. Dey lackin. It have plenty room fuh improvement an all ah we need tuh do better. Dat happen an dis diamond name CariVele not go be in de rough no more. Instead, it go be where an what it should be—cream ah de crop.

Not so?