Pitter Patter

There is nothing that compares to the sound of raindrops on a metal roof. It is the music of nature... heralding peace and contentment. This is why Jamaicans are notorious for wanting to stay in when it's raining-or as we are more likely to say, "when rain falling." We also generally prefer not to be wet so that may factor some in the mix. Not to mention the sweetness of the Jamaican man who knows how to hold his woman close to him in bed for a round of morning glory. I swear that just like how Trinidad and Tobago has a baby boom 9months following carnival, Jamaica has a boom after the rainy season (which unfortunately is getting a little helter skelter due to global warming).

But rain is still a really spectacular feature of nature, complete with it's own sound, smell and aura.

The next time it rains where you are, take some time to just allow it's peace to wash over you. In the meantime, listen to this song by Jamaican folk singer, Ernie Smith, appropriately titled "Pitter Patter."

Spanish Guitar by Toni Braxton

The video sucks. Close your eyes and listen. Here are the lyrics...

A smoky room a small café
They come to hear you play
And drink and dance the night away
I sit out in the crowd
And close my eyes
Dream youre mine
But you dont know
You dont even know that I am there

I wish that I was in your arms
Like that spanish guitar
And you would play me through the night
till the dawn
I wish youd hold me in your arms
Like that spanish guitar
All night long all night long
Id be your song Id be your song

Steal my heart with every note you play
I pray youll look my way
And hold me to your heart someday
I long to be the one that you caress with tenderness
And you dont know
You dont even know that I exist

I wish that I was in your arms
Like that spanish guitar
And you would play me through the night
till the dawn
I wish youd hold me in your arms
Like that spanish guitar
All night long all night long
Id be your song Id be your song

Te sientas entre la gente
Cierras tu ojos
Y suenas que soy tuyo
Pero yo no siquiera se que estas ahi
Me gustaria tenerte entre mis brazos amor

I sit out in the crowd
And close my eyes
Dream youre mine
And you dont know
You dont even know that I exist

I wish that I was in your arms
Like that spanish guitar
And you would play me through the night
till the dawn
I wish youd hold me in your arms
Like that spanish guitar
All night long all night long
Id be your song Id be your song

The Circle of Life

I have been bemoaning the fact that I have only had moments of peace and sheer bliss since I have been home. I now know why it seems that way.

Before I left Jamaica, I would retreat to Imelda's in Montego Bay regularly... so much so that I eventually began spending as much time or even more there than in Kingston, where I maintained formal residence. Mo Bay was a retreat... I found peace there that had eluded me in the "busy-ness" of the nation's capital.

Having spent the greater part of the week in different "country" settings across three parishes(St. James, Trelawny and St. Elizabeth), I finally figured out what it is that I had found in Mo Bay." I love Mo Bay.. but only when Imelda is there :) Mo Bay without Imelda is like the Caribbean without sunshine... and no I am not pandering... is di truth. And we dont have to be doing anything or going anywhere really to enjoy wisself. A just so the thing set (that is just how it goes).

But by far, the most enlightening arm of the cross country trip was my return to my father's Northern, hilly Trelawny farm, which I hadn't set foot on in 15 years after having only visited once. There is a HUGE difference between the perspective of a 14 year old and a 29 year old. I woke up in complete peace, not seeing any property but ours in a visual radius. The cock started crowing at 7:00am but I was long up by then, because curtains are not needed in such a remote setting and daylight had spilled in through the windows over an hour before.

I want to go back for a few days and feed the goats and cows and pigs and tend to the bees. I remember the fun holidays in the country that I had as a child and the weekend trips to the farm in St. Mary with Daddy as an only child in the back of the VW Bug. Now, in Trelawny, we practically have our own church and surrounding houses and warm neighbours proving ample opportunity for great photo ops. If I could have my cake and eat it, that is exactly where my wedding photos would be taken. It isn't impossible though... esp since photography is an art that I inherited from my dad. I wouldn't even have to pay :)

I have said for years that I am a city girl witha country heart. I guess the country element is growing more and more as I get older.