Stories came from the corn-shellers
On our dark verandah;
Bits of experiences
Arranged in pleasing patterns
Now being passed on;
As grains of corn fell from the husks in our hands
Into pans, basins and baskets;
And with the aroma of food cooking
Coming from the kitchen behind us.
Anansi stories
Ghost stories
Big-Boy stories
Rasta stories
Parson stories.
Etiological tales that explained with jokes
Things we did not know.
Riddles tested our deductive skills
And made us ponder those in our everyday our lives.
Songs remembered from school or church,
Tunes to make the shelling easier.
The moon was high in the sky
When our visitors left.
We would do the same at other homes
In the nights ahead.