Bahamian Music: Da Toters performed by K.B.

Artist: K.B. / Song: Da Toters

Poem: Mirror Of Yesterday

When I reflect upon the mirror of yesterday,
I remember a year of triumphs and trials.
I consider the past fears of financial loss
and the sweet sound of success
as I witnessed my bride walk down the aisle.
I had business relationship deteriorate
due to lack of respect
and failure to pay me timely for services due.
I further promoted my activities vigorously
and was blessed with better clients
who compensated me weekly for the quality work I do.
I lost three very different friends, one to a heart attack,
one to a carjacking and another to old age;
From my retired pen, I birth poems in their honor
and cried as I read the words expressed on each page.
I pray that God will not judge me too harshly
for my shortcomings
even though I made many mistakes along the way.
Crime has me terrified
of being the next victim in the newspapers
due to a stabbing or a bullet.
This is a nagging fear I battle every day.
I welcomed a beautiful baby niece
with open arms into my heart
and reluctantly experience

a deepening alienation from my brother.
I am continuing to learn in my infancy
how to be an exceptional husband and a better lover.
The past year was one of fiscal sweat and illicit tears
but I know that the New Year
will wipe those trappings away.
This is why I smile and hope for the best
when I reflect upon the mirror of yesterday.

By Sean R. Munnings
The Raga-Lover
Written 31 December 2009

Poem: The Better

You made the gift of life so much better;
you made the art of loving so much easier.
Now “the better” that brought out “the best” in me
has left my sight like a swallow tail’s favorite feather.
I was supposed to be assisting you
but somehow you were the one
constantly teaching and consoling me.
I was a Doctor bird fleeting free to leave its nest
but I was always supported by your wise winds

and gusts of legacy;
Granny, tease me with your tangy perfume

from your cooking pot,
then fill my plate to capacity when I plead for more.
Tell me your jokes that made me laugh heartily

from deep within
like a volcano erupting from its core.
Bewilder me with scriptural excitement and expectation
like when I tiptoed in the mornings to your door.
Without you this trusty purse of joy and hope I carry
for my kids recently seems so empty.
My sleep is often choked by vines of loss
and the mirror of your reflection stirs pangs of misery.
I pray to God that he will tell you every day that I love you
and I know that you wanted me to let you go.
You constantly forewarned me and others
that we would have to live our lives without you,
a reality we now know to be so.
Today I; today your family, rewinds the happy hands of time
and replays your hearty island tales of days before.
Granny, help us hold back the tears

when we hear your voice in silence
even though your body has left this mortal shore.

By Sean R. Munnings
The Raga-Lover
Dedicated to Granny on behalf of Monie