Think on That

He had tears in his eyes and a look of desperation on his face; a boy I encountered on a street in Georgetown a few weeks ago.

Some of the streets to enter Annandale from Buxton, on the East Coast of Demerara, are blocked and bridges have been removed.

A few weeks ago, after eleven at night, on a street with hardly any light and no one in sight, I was asked to vacate a taxi from a popular service in the Ruimveldt area after an argument with the driver.

There are some images that have stuck in my head from the time I was about thirteen/fourteen-years-old.

Within the last year, we had a significant event happen in this country–a change of government after 23 years.

Mature women ‘cussing out’ in the street, using expletives of the most colourful kind.

“You wutless!” One of the latest phrases directed to me as I stood on Lamaha Street a few days ago.

Most of us have had days when we felt like giving up; when misery seemed to be wrapping its arms around us and whispering that there was no hope.

When I hear the word “independence,” I think self-determination. It sparks in me a certain pride at the ability to stand on one’s own, build and show the world that you are creator and custodian of your destiny.