Linton Kwesi Johnson: Di Good Life

Sowshallism
is a wise ole shephad
im suvvie tru flood
tru drout
tru blizad
somme people seh
im a two hundred an odd years ole
addah people seh
notn noh goh soh
dat im a jus seventy odd years ole
some seh im is a ghost
some seh im is a sage
but nohbady noh really know
im riteful age ar whey im come fram
fateful is im flock
from di ewe to di ram to di Iam
rite tru tick an tin
dem mostly cling to im
awftah all
noh im guide an sheltah an proteck dem ?
( sometime a dem haffi proteck im dow
like ow a dem haffi proteck im now )
look ow im stretch out pan im back
pan di brown grass
di white hair pan im branze hed
like a kushan gense di weepin willow tree
lookin bedraggled an tin
like seh life done wid im
like seh im is totally at peace widin
noh baddah goh feel sarry fi im
ar goh tink poor ting
nat a ting noh dhu im
all dat really happn
is dat due to di heat a di time
like lickle bwoy blue im drap asleep
an a dream bout lickle bow peep
an wan an two a im flock dem drif a way
while di addah ism dem
jus a watch an a peep
jus a crawl an a creep
an noh baddah ask if dem naw mek fun
fi canfuse an cansume all di stray dem
but evryting is jus fi a time
soon di flack wi tek a stack an surmise
ow far fram di fole dem a stray
wen dem site ow di pack jus a staak dem
dem wi come back togeddah wance agen
an shephad di sage to a highah graun
whichpawt di graas is greenah an sweetah
whichpawt di breeze blow is like a balm
whichpawt di stream run quietah an coolah
whichpawt life can pleasant can be calm