blue green ship in turquoise bay
swollen bauxite-red river rushing
stream rising from feathered bamboo hills
tracks once paved now falling away into deep lush valleys
and the farmed-out road contracts pass through so many hands
the print erodes with the weather-worn blacktop
and the jungle's always trying to reclaim the right of way
and the mangoes cacao turmeric goats soursop
mushrooms cane plantains limes
horses crayfish long-legged birds donkeys
curved horns of cattle above dense grass
ganja sensitive plant ackee
and some thorn whose prick brings lockjaw
and tires torn by sharp yellow rocks --
young girl stares pensively from dark door in pale blue wall
Big About and friends at their crossroads bar
with its dirt corral for dancing
drink soursop juice all day long
in quest of the perpetual stiff bamboo
and there's DANCING in PARADISE...

Biggy Dread gunned down by police at Big Bridge March 16
riding a mule cart to Sav-la-Mar pulled out a cutlass and they had to shoot
that's what they say
something tells me they like to shoot
something in the eyes of the ones at the road block
where they searched the car and tried to get us to confess to whatever...
there's truncheons and gas down in Harbour St. --
typical response where life isn't so sweet
and somebody gets desperate enough to say so --
price of fish price of flour
going up up up almost by the hour
and they throw away money on spectacular shows
to show the world the right likes the right music
and the Prime Minister sucks ice cream in the company of a happy band of children
while a naked man, sores on his neck,
lies for days in Washington Blvd. gnawing chicken bones
and the Chamber of Commerce thinks there's too much crime
and there's a kung fu movie in every town
and there's DANCING in PARADISE...

(JAMAICA, EASTER 85)