"Shepherds flock round the manger" by Pamela Mordecai

Shepherds flock round the manger

Den some shepherd, seven or eight of dem,

come round, say dem was in de field

wid dem flock and dem get a big fright

when a angel appear out of a great light

so bright likl most it blind dem.

And because dem did know

is Jah-Jah miracle, dem frighten for so!

But angel smile and say dem mustn’t fraid

for de good news him bring

going make people on earth

jump for joy. So of course,

everybody well eager to hear.

Angel say a baby just now born

into David city is Saviour,

Emmanuel, de Anointed One.

And him give dem a sign. Him say dem

going find de baby wrap up tight

in warm clothes lying down in a animal trough.

And same time a big crowd of angel

join up wid de first one. Dem all

praising God and singing,

“Glory to Jah up high in de heavens!

Peace to all down here pon de earth

dat please him!” Talk about a story!

Dem say soon as de angel dem gone

dem set out to look for de baby.

So me show dem my likl boy child,

him face smiling wid sense.

No pikni me know have two eye open so

studying de world right as him born!

All dis while me did glean wid my nose

de liklest shepherd was frighten so bad

him pee up himself. When dem reach,

him did come to de front to look on

de baby, den him hide at de back,

for him shame. So me call him, “Eli!”

(How me know de boy name, Jah to tell!)

“Come, Eli. You want hold de baby?”

When me hand him de child,

him look down on Jesus and him face

catch a fi re like somebody strike it

wid a flint. And same time

sweet algum fill de air

all around and boy and baby flare

in a bright candle glow.

de Book of Mary is now available @ Amazon:

 http://tinyurl.com/perf7lo

de Book of Mary is an epic poem in Jamaican Creole based on the Biblical story of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. The first book of a trilogy, Pamela Mordecai's, de Book of Mary covers Mary's life from her early years, through the arrival of the Archangel Gabriel and the birth of Yeshua, to her death. 

A Chorus of male and female voices provides an accompanying commentary. This exciting Canadian-Jamaican retelling, profound and tragic, yet told with humour and gusto, is a major event, continuing Mordecai's project of hybridizing one of the most significant cultural-religious phenomena in world history. The last book of the trilogy, de Man, about the crucifixion of Jesus, was published by Sister Vision Press in 1995 and is now out of print. The poet is currently working on de book of Joseph, second book of the trilogy.

About Pamela Mordecai

Pamela ('Pam') Mordecai’s previous collections of poetry include Journey Poem (1989); de Man, a performance poem (1995); Certifiable (2001); The True Blue of Islands (2005), and Subversive Sonnets(2012). de book of Mary, from which “Jesus Takes Leave of Mary and Goes  into the Desert” comes, will appear in fall, 2015. In 2006 she published Pink Icing, a collection of short stories; her first novel, Red Jacket, appeared in February, 2015. 

She has edited and co-edited ground-breaking anthologies of Caribbean writing including Jamaica Woman (1980, 1985, with Mervyn Morris); From Our Yard: Jamaican Poetry since Independence (1987); Her True-True Name: An Anthology of Women's Writing from the Caribbean (1989, with Betty Wilson) and Calling Cards: New Poetry from Caribbean/ Canadian Women(2005). Her play, El Numero Uno had its world premiere at the Loraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People in Toronto in 2010. In spring 2014, she was a fellow at the prestigious Yaddo artists' community in upstate New York yaddo.org. Pam and her family immigrated to Canada in 1994. She lives with her husband, Martin, in Kitchener, Ontario

"Mary has a baby boy" by Pamela Mordecai

Mary has a baby boy

Well next thing you know,

de Roman emperor name Caesar

Augustus send out a instruction

dem must count all-o-we!

Dat time in Syria, one man name

Quirinius was governor.

Dem send orders dat every man jack

must find himself back to de town

where him born to write him name

down into a book. So Joseph

set off from Nazareth town where him live

in Galilee country and go to de city of David

what dem call Bethlehem, for is where

him family come from. Him take me

wid him, no mind me big wid baby,

for him say is him response for de two of we.

We leave Judith and Sarah

wid my ma and pa.

At de self same time when we reach

to Bethlehem, dis baby

decide him coming too.

Joseph ask for a room at de inn

but de place pack up right to de brim,

not one likl corner nor crack leave over.

Me sorry for Joseph! Him look high,

him look low till him find a stable and is dere

me born Jesus, wrap him in warm clothes,

give him a first taste of my breast,

and like how we never have no crib, settle him

in de dumb animal feeding box.

***

de Book of Mary is now available @ Amazon:

 http://tinyurl.com/perf7lo

de Book of Mary is an epic poem in Jamaican Creole based on the Biblical story of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. The first book of a trilogy, Pamela Mordecai's 
de Book of Mary covers Mary's life from her early years, through the arrival of the Archangel Gabriel and the birth of Yeshua, to her death. 

A Chorus of male and female voices provides an accompanying commentary. This exciting Canadian-Jamaican retelling, profound and tragic, yet told with humour and gusto, is a major event, continuing Mordecai's project of hybridizing one of the most significant cultural-religious phenomena in world history. The last book of the trilogy, de Man, about the crucifixion of Jesus, was published by Sister Vision Press in 1995 and is now out of print. The poet is currently working on de book of Joseph, second book of the trilogy.


About Pamela Mordecai

Pamela ('Pam') Mordecai’s previous collections of poetry include Journey Poem (1989); de Man, a performance poem (1995); Certifiable (2001); The True Blue of Islands (2005), and Subversive Sonnets(2012). de book of Mary, from which “Jesus Takes Leave of Mary and Goes  into the Desert” comes, will appear in fall, 2015. In 2006 she published Pink Icing, a collection of short stories; her first novel, Red Jacket, appeared in February, 2015. She has edited and co-edited ground-breaking anthologies of Caribbean writing including Jamaica Woman (1980, 1985, with Mervyn Morris); From Our Yard: Jamaican Poetry since Independence (1987); Her True-True Name: An Anthology of Women's Writing from the Caribbean (1989, with Betty Wilson) and Calling Cards: New Poetry from Caribbean/ Canadian Women(2005). Her play, El Numero Uno had its world premiere at the Loraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People in Toronto in 2010. In spring 2014, she was a fellow at the prestigious Yaddo artists' community in upstate New York yaddo.org. Pam and her family immigrated to Canada in 1994. She lives with her husband, Martin, in Kitchener, Ontario.