Christine Phillips | + Follow Poet |
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On the Road

“Collection Kaki and school bag, collection Kaki and school bag”
These are the words echoing from the woman hustling on the street side. Mindless people passing by glancing at her and listening to her afternoon cry.

 Faces of all descriptions murmuring as they hurry along. Fatigue faces, disgust faces, faces that are asking for trouble, and face that don’t have to worry. Her course voice resonating deeply from within exposes the hardship, rough terrain that she had to bear and I could hear her breath sinking deeply as she laments the troubles of her golden years.

“Collection Kaki, and school bag, collection Kaki and school bag”
Her tired voice grouched in discontent, and she whispered something beneath her tired breath. Alcoholic voice, tobacco voice, or a higgler’s voice? I could not tell but all I know is that her voice was very rough and she was on edge to cuss. She must have been in the selling business for many years, and the coarseness in her voice seems to originate from, emotional desperation and daily shouts.
 
“Collection Kaki, and school bag, collection Kaki and school bag”
Her shouts land across the street in the burning heat and she appeal for sales from the moneyless crowd who wandered listlessly about.
She sets her price, she gives them a bligh and her barging skills is very high, take it or leave, buy it and use it but do not abuse it. 

She call out to her helper on the other side to take an order to the food store, the tall slender black man with timid hands brought back a paper and  pencil and gave it to the woman to write down   the order. “Tell her that I want chicken mix with beef and stew pork,” she muttered deeply inside her throat. 

All of a sudden the pedestrian kept moving in, and the crowds started to gather around. She made a couple sales and walked around wagging and  yelling;  her course voice and she shouted again “Collection Kaki, and school bag, collection Kaki, and school bag”; meanwhile the man next-door loading his taxi started to shout loudly; “Guys’ Hill ,Guy’s Hill  just one more I need to go on the road.” “Guys Hill, Guys Hill, come just one more I need and I can go.” The man shouted.

The busy activities caught my attention, and I began to lift my eyes towards the heaven. I whisper a prayer in my heart, and I watched the people going back and forth, buying goods and commodities. Here I am sitting on the steps with the blazing heat crawling under my feet. It feels like something is going to transpire but I just cannot tell how when or where. 

Time is definitely winding down, and the position of the sun has caused intense heat, sweat is dripping from my face, in my back and running down my feet. Something significant is about to happen so make your plans before it lands.

“Collection Kaki, and school bag, collection Kaki and school bag”
The woman selling on the street side ringing out a loud cry. Oh I forget that it is Monday and tomorrow will be Tuesday, and the next day will be Wednesday. Yesterday was the first of September and today is the second of September, everything is moving so fast, and I just cannot keep up with everything that is going on.

Traffic is moving very slowly, business is very slow but people are still on the go. It is more than twenty seven degree Celsius we are gearing up for a big melt down that is bound to transpire in this miserable town. Some of us cannot stand it, and we will not be able to bear it. The rain is trickling in to purge them from their sins. It is just a warning sign to indicate that we are next in line.

The voice of the taxi man echoed across the floor; and he kept shouting, “Guys Hill, Guys Hill, and see one more here” A man came and crawl into the taxi. “One Jeep deh yah,” shout the taxi loader from around the corner; the taxi loader was breaking the rules while watching out for the police and soldiers.

The Guys Hill taxi men continue to shout as the traffic move frantically about the town. Destiny is coming to town and everything will soon come to an end. “Collection Kaki, and school bag, collection Kaki and school bag” the course voice woman kept shouting and walking around the busy town.

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