'The Carpenter's Complaint'
Beryl Clarke, Contributor

It is time to have some fun. After all, this is the fourth week of the new school year and you are now raring to go. I am opening the gate and letting you go down the poetic track as we consider Edward Baugh's 'The Carpenter's Complaint':

Now you think that is right, sah? Talk the truth.
The man was mi friend. I build it, I
Build the house that him live in; but now
That him dead, that mawga-foot bwoy, him son,
5 Come say, him want a nice job for the coffin,

So him give it to Mister Belnavis to make -
That big-belly crook who don't know him arse
From a chisel, but because him is big-shot, because
Him make big-shot coffin, fi-him coffin must better
10 Than mine! Bwoy it hot me, it hot me

For true. Fix we a nex' one, Miss Fergie -
That man coulda knock back him waters, you know sah!
I remember the day in this said-same bar
When him drink Old Brown and Coxs'n into
15 The ground, then stand up straight as a plumb-line

And keel him felt hat on him head and walk
Home cool, cool, cool. Dem was water-bird, brother!
Funeral? Me, sah? That bwoy have to learn
That a man have him pride. But bless mi days!
20 Good enough to build the house that him live in,

But not good enough to make him coffin!
I woulda do it for nutt'n, for nutt'n! The man
Was mi friend. Damn mawga-foot bwoy.
Is university turn him fool. I tell you,
25 It burn me, it burn me for true!

How I wish that I could read this poem aloud for you to hear! It says so well, so clearly, the thoughts of the speaker that we do not only find it easy to understand but also to enjoy. Let us visualise the scene as described by the speaker.

A group of men has gathered in a bar. The bartender is a woman, one whom they seem to respect. Notice that she is not called 'Angie' or 'Plummie' but 'Miss Fergie'. One man 'has the floor' pouring out his anger and vexation at the way his friend's son has dissed him. Can you see him? An ordinary man, but one with a skill; he is a builder. I do not refer to him as ordinary or average only because he uses our dialect but because of his general use of language and his vocabulary and because this is a claim that he would have made for himself.

At times his speech is coarse, reflecting his irritation and resentment. His friend, whose house he had built, has died and the friend's son does not consider him a good enough tradesman to make the coffin. His pride was hurt and so he describes both the son and the person chosen to make the coffin, a Mr Belnavis, in less than complimentary terms.

The carpenter calls the son 'Mawga-foot Bwoy' and, with emphasis on the mister (Belnavis), tells his audience that not only does 'big-belly' Belnavis not know anything about building but he is also a crook. He gives what he thinks is the son's reason for using Belnavis, that is, because he is an important man and has made coffins for important persons. What do you think the carpenter is suggesting about the young man?

Our speaker has a glass in his hand, from which he sips intermittently as he talks about the situation. There are nods of agreement from the other men who are also drinking. What do you believe they were having - sodas, beers or rum? In light of the fact that the deceased was a 'waters man' and that Miss Fergie was asked to 'fix a nex' one', it is safe to believe that rum is the drink of choice. I wonder if the carpenter or any of his friends try to mock Belnavis by pushing out his/their belly/ies and strutting around the bar?

Much repetition is used in this poem and we have to consider why this is so. Examine each example to find out what it contributes to the poem. When you do this, you will understand why the poet uses it. Let us look, for instance, at line 10:

Bwoy, it hot me, it hot me ...

The repetition here emphasises the hurt the carpenter is feeling. In our language, the word 'hot' reveals the burning emotional pain that he endures when he is not allowed to 'pay' his respects to his friend by making his coffin.

Before we 'meet' again, please do the following.

1. Read the poem aloud several times. You can read it to your family

and friends.

2. Write down a summary of the events in your own words

(standard English).

3. Identify the poetic devices that are employed in this poem and

say why they are used.

Do your very best at this and all your tasks. Take care and God bless!

It was twice as nice for Member of Parliament for East Central St James and Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett as twins Cherisa (left) and Chelesa Walker accept their scholarships from the East Central St James Education Council at Wexford Hotel in Montego Bay on September 9. - Sheena Gayle photo