Arawak Argument
Inspired by Angelique Nixon,
by Gina Morley and by
Marion Bethel’s poem,
“On A Coral Cay”

unprepared/am I prepared
to digest, and if possible to digest
am I prepared to assimilate

the layers of conflict, layers
of human endeavors interlocked over time

upon/across these rocks,
seas washing them, hurricanes blowing
battering them

a group blown away, another washed up
or blown onto these shores

what all/who all in the Bahamian belly
what all/who all is me, is we

Tino Indians, Arawaks, Caribs
Columbus, his three ships

Conquistadors, slaves and slavery
and slave ships

Eleutherian Adventurers, loyalists

abolition, Colonialism, governors
Woodes Rogers, Blackbeard, pirates

rum running, forts, independence
Junkanoo, flags, anthem

Lyford Cay, P.I., Hog Island
out islands, family islands

drug running, illegal immigrants
Haitians, Cubans, Jamaicans
tourism, Chinese

all a dese is me, all a we is one
a bunch a junkanoo

mix all dis, all dese up
conch salad fur me, fur who ta eat

who I gur spit out like fish bone
what I gur puke up
like when yur get poison

or diges’ it all an’ have a good shit
let der body decide what it gur extrac’
from all a dese ta make a Bahamian
ta make Bahahmas

who on der map an’ who off der map

play chess or checkers,
what piece lef on der board and who off
who get check mate

dis game need ta play to der end
declare who win or if der game draw

cus I’een know bout a lot a tings
y’all say or dey say I belong to
or belong ta me

what aieen claimin’ me
or what I’een willing to claim

dey need to or we need to
whip what we callin’ history like cream
blen’ tagether what could blen’ tagether

like when yur making carrot juice
get der juice out,
make what yur could make wit der fiber
or trow it out

we have so much hangin’ roun’
we don’ know what ta do wit’

chew it, eat it, drink it, spit or puke or shit

piss or do sometin’ in response
but so much just sittin’ dere

starin’ at it, it staring back
like we too stupid ta tink or ta ack


© Obediah Michael Smith, 2009
4:40 a.m. 23.07.09