Ah couldn’t help buh feel enthused, eef dat mean what ah tink it does mean.

After all, ah was dey watchin’ Trinbago daughters an’ sons of proud T&T parents rejoicin’ in dey Secondary Entrance Assessment exam results. It bring back memories dat had mih feelin’ like was just de udder day I was one ah dem. Tuh we it was named de Common Entrance Exam doh.

In all mih excitement an’ wid all de smile ah was smilin’ as ah was takin’ dem een, ah lil part ah mih was jealous. Nah, ah didn’t want tuh be young like dem, ah too ole fuh dat, besides is dem time now.

What had mih lil greenish was someting ah notice dey does be doin’ ah few years well now – writin’ up on one anudder school uniform.

Dat capturin’ ah de mood of de moment, de unbridled exhilaration, de sense of accomplishment? Man all dat have tuh be reflected in what gettin’ write on dem clothes. De best ah could do is imagine eef was me what I would ah write on all mih friend an’ dem shirt when was we celebratin’ we Common Entrance exam results.

Dem chirren ah was watchin’ mightn’t know it now buh sometime dong de road ah life dey go realize de significance ah dat part ah dey celebration. It could be thirty, forty, even fifty years from now when dey pull out dat shirt or blouse. It go be strange being on both ends ah dey own time capsule buh dey go smile at de memories an’ wonder what happen tuh de classmates dey lorse contact wid. Den dey go get lost in time lookin’ at how time change dem.

We didn’t have dat kind ah time capsule else ah would ah keep mih shut from dat day in Standard 5, fuhever. Ah would ah be pullin’ it out all now. It would ah be de link of de me ah today tuh de me I was back den.

Unfortunately it had chirren who eh share in de celebrations during my happy time an’ it have chirren who eh celebratin’ wid de happy chirren ah tuhday.

Is not every year, buh ah few years good ah does be watchin’ dese celebrations. Even while ah smilin’ an’ jealous, ah also noticin’ what ah eh seein’, what missin’. Ah wonderin’ eef anybody else noticin’ de same ting buh dey eh want tuh say nuttin.

I goin’ an fix dat now now.

Where all de black people chirren? Dem break biche on exam day or what?

What it is religious schools wid dey eager tuh learn chirren supported by accommodatin’ parents, all know tuh do dat dem udder parents in dem udder schools eh know tuh do?

Doh tell mih black chirren eh eager tuh learn. Doh tell mih black chirren parents eh accommodatin’. Doh tell mih schools wid majority black chirren eh religiously pushin’ learnin’. So eef yuh cyar tell mih what ah say doh tell mih, den tell mih what not wukkin’, why it eh wukkin’ an’ what gettin’ done tuh make it wuk. Like I eh done know de answers, buh still try mih nah?

Yuh cyar have ah multi ethnic society an’ de second largest group not at de table in reasonable numbers sharin’ in de pie. Dey cyar be breakin’ biche while de pie gettin’ shared.

Watchin’ dis latest rongs ah results, as was so hungry tuh see more faces dat de news people cyatch mih good one time ah had tuh laugh wid surprise. Dey was done showin’ de smart girl from dong south an’ was hoppin’ over tuh Tobago tuh show de results dey. Mih body tense up in anticipation. “Finally”, ah did tink tuh mihself. Den ah see de girl dat top all dem Tobagonians. Eef dey still had dem an’ ah used tuh wear dem, ah would ah geh faked out mih watchicongs oui. Ah really wasn’t expectin’ tuh see ah cute lil Indian girl. It possible tuh be happy an’ sad at de same time?

Den it had de part ah de story dat almost break mih heart. Was de lil black girl who only parse fuh she third-choice. She voice betray she struggles wid she disappointment at not gettin’ she first- or second-choice picks while at de same time she was tryin’ tuh accept she third-choice parse. Ah feel like she was mih own chile an’ was up tuh me tuh explain de unfairness ah life. Ah hope she have parents who teachin’ she dat valuable lesson dat when she fall dong six times, she have tuh get back up seven.

It had ah more worryin’ issue wid what ah was seein’. Eef dese SEA results show dat de girls mash up de boys, den what happen tuh lil black boys? Gypsy eh sing about dat lil black boy in 1997? Is sixteen years later and dat lil black boy still ah missin’ dimension. He eh supposed tuh geh find long before he hit he teens so he know de right path fuh livin’ he life, reachin’ he potential an’ enrichin’ he country? He mightn’t be on de TV screen now, buh doh worry, he go be de news later orn.

Back in my day, de tork was about who wanted instant gratification. All dese decades later is still ‘we’? Not ah damn ting gettin’ done tuh save de lil Trini black boy from heself.

Earlier dis year in he Indian Arrival Day tork, Jack Warner suggest de new Trini Indian boy limin’ on de block want he satisfaction now now too. It could never be ah good ting when everybody limin’ want whatever dey want now.

Tings eh playin’ de barse-ackwards nah.

Tuh all who faces ah see flushed wid happiness an’ who voices ah hear echoin’
joy ah say dis. Keep up allyuh hard work, irregardless ah eef it eh yuh fuss choice yuh parse for. Way yuh live? Dong south? De east? De west? De north? De east-west corridor? Tobago? No difference. Mih hat orf tuh all Trini young people dreamin’
big. Me eh worried about allyuh. Doh let nuttin or nobody stop allyuh reachin’ fuh de sky. Eef udders can’t, wont or don’t know how tuh do dat an’ no body eh helpin’, dat eh your problem. You not broken an’ doh let nobody break yuh. De people who head in de sand need dey baxide cut.

By de way, eef ah whole class ah allyuh want tuh adopt mih an’ make mih ah honorary primary school student, ah ready. Just fuh one day doh. As long as we pretend is Common Entrance/SEA results day. All ah want allyuh tuh do is treat mih like one ah allyuh an’ sign mih shirt expressin’ allyuh joy at parsin allyuh SEA. Ah promise it go be de most important piece ah clothes ah go ever own an’ ah keepin’ it fuh ever. Let mih know what allyuh tink ah de idea.

Steups.

Alright! Alright!

Allyuh smarter dan dat. Allyuh done know me eh in no position tuh make it sound like is allyuh who gettin’ de honor of dat one-day adoption. Is beg ah here beggin’ allyuh tuh please adopt mih.

Still sign mih school shirt dat ah promise tuh buy? Sign it up like allyuh mad. Doh even bodder tuh ask, ah really keepin’ it fuh ever.