Colonization in Reverse

I thought long and hard about the dialect spelling the poet uses in her poem, and finally decided to shorten the poem to its most important story line and leave the dialect spelling.  There are notes at the end for difficult constructions.


Wat a joyful news, Miss Mattie,
I feel like me heart gwine burs'  (1)
Jamaica people colonizin'
Englan' in reverse

By de hundred, by de tousan'(2)
From country and from town
By de ship-load, by de plane load
Jamaica is Englan' boun' (3)

What an islan'! What a people!
Man an woman, old and young
Just a pack dem bag an baggage (4)
And turn history upside doun'

oonoo see how life is funny
oonoo see da turnabout?
..............
What a devilment a Englan'
Dem face de war and brave de worse
But me wonderin' how dem gwine stan' (5)
Colonizin' in reverse.

by Dame Louse Bennett

Louise Bennett is a Jamaican Poet who has been knighted and the title "Dame" is
the feminine equivalent of "sir"

(1) I feel like my heart is going to burst
(2) by the thousand
(3) England bound
(4) pack their bag and baggage
(5) how they're going to stand

photo by your mom while working in Tumaco Colombia