Sunday, December 23, 2018

Turn the Page 
(Paul Gallagher November 22, 2017) ©

No excuses, I blew it and I hear you, Babe
I love your smile, helps me stay brave
Our book is so big, can you and I turn a page?

Snowflake patterns on the coffee shop window  
Inside a velvet glow of cinnamon and mistletoe
Our hands wrapped around the decorated mugs 
Our eyes locked on the cappuccino art
You bite your lip; and your eyes sound the alarm
 “You didn’t call me; I feel like an apostrophe”

Flash .... I see the world end                 
Flash....My mind is an 
Overturned cup 

I forgot you’re my friend
Tiger here is fear 
Showing up
Together we’re more than we see 
Thank you for 
Reminding me 
You are right, I was wrong,                                                                                                   
Tell me all about it,                                                                                        
What’s going on?

Twinkling lights and pine wreaths permeate the room
Our pocket corner is away from the Christmas tunes 
I pass you the sugar and you send over the cream
Without even trying our fingers meet
You look at me and then at your sleeve 
 “Could you be on time, for once; is that too much?”

Flash .... I see the world end                 
Flash....My mind is an 
Overturned cup 

I forgot you’re my friend
Tiger here is fear 
Showing up
Together we’re more than we see 
Thank you for 
Reminding me 
You are right, I was wrong,                                                                                                   
Tell me all about it,                                                                                        
What’s going on?

No excuses, I blew it and I hear you, Babe
I love your smile, helps me stay brave
Our book is so big, can you and I turn a page?
Trini Christmas Cake
©Paul Gallagher Dec. 11, 2017 Rev Dec 7-19

Half moon - in de sky
Near zero - North ‘a 49

Trini Christmas - on my mind
Trini Christmas - on my mind

I wanna piece - a Christmas Cake
Trini Cake .... Black Christmas Cake
I wanna piece - a Christmas Cake
I know it took so long to make....
Cake so heavy - give me backache
Trini Cake .... Black Christmas Cake

Rum id up, Spice id up, Love id up... non stop
Is de season to celebrate, 
Celebrate wid parang
Dancing an singing, 
Cooking an cleaning 
‘till we can’t stand

No warm id up, 
Let’s start id up 
Wid rum an puncha créme
I wanna piece a Christmas Cake......
Trini Cake ......Black Christmas Cake

Fin-a-lly, jet make touch down; 
Cra-zy taxi ride, into town
To Auntie Asha and Uncle Edwin; 
Already, Christmas lights – 
All around.........
Palm trees soca in de breeze
Parang from back yard, 
And parang from de beach….
No one can fall asleep.

Christmas time; time to fresh up,
New brushes, rollers an cans ‘o’ paint 
Uncle an Aunty ready to jump
Hang new curtains dat Auntie Asha make,
We gonna decorate.

I wanna piece - a Christmas Cake
Trini Cake .... Black Christmas Cake
I wanna piece - a Christmas Cake
I know it took so long to make....
Cake so heavy - give me backache
Trini Cake .... Black Christmas Cake

Rum id up, Spice id up, Love id up... non stop
Is de season to celebrate, 
Celebrate wid parang
Dancing an singing, 
Cooking an cleaning 
‘till we can’t stand
No warm id up, 
Let’s start id up 
Wid rum an puncha créme
I wanna piece a Christmas Cake......
Trini Cake ......Black Christmas Cake

Early morning, new stove come in
One by one cousins in de kitchen 
Assembly line, hand over hand, 
Cloves, sweet meat and cornmeal 
Making pastelles ........
All day long chitter chatter drinking sorrel

Me and Uncle Edwin start to clean 
Font yard an de porch
Friends lean over de fence 
Like parrots, to watch......
Out come de wine 
An out come de rum
Out come de cuatro, bottle an spoons
Looks like de cleaning
Won’t be done too soon.

I wanna piece - a Christmas Cake
Trini Cake .... Black Christmas Cake
I wanna piece - a Christmas Cake
I know it took so long to make....
Cake so heavy - give me backache
Trini Cake .... Black Christmas Cake

Rum id up, Spice id up, Love id up... non stop
Is de season to celebrate, 
Celebrate wid parang
Dancing an singing, 
Cooking an cleaning 
‘till we can’t stand

No warm id up, 
Let’s start id up 
Wid rum an puncha créme
I wanna piece a Christmas Cake......
Trini Cake ......Black Christmas Cake

6 PM an Christmas lights
Shining so bright
Christmas stockings, 
Hang de palm tree... 
Not too high.....
Auntie Asha still in de kitchen 
an floors do shine
Sky so dark 
All de stars a special light….

Dog bark announcing 
Parr-an-dero 
Get ready for de chak chak, guitars an toc toc
Come de kitchen, parang all night long.... 
‘Til all de ham is gone.........
Call de neighbours... roti an rum......
Dancing and laughing and sing-along
It’s Christmas time, Christmas time, 
Limin, limin all night long
It’s Christmas time, Christmas time, 
Limin, limin all night long

I wanna piece - a Christmas Cake
Trini Cake .... Black Christmas Cake
I wanna piece - a Christmas Cake
I know it took so long to make....
Cake so heavy - give me backache
Trini Cake .... Black Christmas Cake

Rum id up, Spice id up, Love id up... non stop
Is de season to celebrate, 
Celebrate wid parang
Dancing an singing, 
Cooking an cleaning 
‘till we can’t stand

No warm id up, 
Let’s start id up 
Wid rum an puncha créme
I wanna piece a Christmas Cake......

Trini Cake ......Black Christmas Cake