Street Market by Brienne Ahearn

Reds, greens, and yellows blur down the street-
Mangoes, papayas, guanabanas
squashed by indifferent feet.
An ancient brow furrows at the sight-
There will be no lomo saltado tonight.

(Inspired by "Monrovia Market Women" and "Ya'll Comfort Me" and my stay in Quito, Ecuador.)

Useful Websites

www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/Liberia.html -This website offers a brief, but thorough overview of Liberian history, politics, culture, ethnicities, social relations, etc.

www.liberiaseabreeze.com/archives -This website is an electronic journal that offers a plethora of poetry, essays, book reviews, plays, and other literature written by Liberian authors.

www.bong-town.com/Bong_Town/Links/Dictionary.html -This website offers English translations for common Liberian phrases and sayings, which is often useful in translating Liberian poetry.

"Yuh Kom'-fuh Meehn" and English translation "Ya'll Comfort Me" by Keith Nevel Best

Yuh Kom’-fuh Meehn

Whar hah-PEEHN Sahmueh Kahyon Doh?
Thar YUU the peepoe say muh go?
Thar YUU dey say dey komin’ kae?
Thar YUU whar may-kay Liebee-r’a ayh?
YUU who na gi’ dehn plehntae ress
GAHS peepoe poh-kay foeluh cass,
PAE-ehn deh sahl-ray eb’rae moohn,
SEHN-nin’ deh chae’rehn ohr to skoohn,
Ehn’ peepoe leevihn’ eb’rywheh’
Toh KAHN toh dis Liebee-ruh heeyeh!
YUU who brough jorstis to the lehn,
Duh trahbs ohr wohkin haen-eehn-hehn
BRUH’ huemuhn wrihse,
Orb-haih duh lor;
NO monkay workay wha barbuuhn druhw.
WHAR may-kay dehne so uhngraefuh so?
Whar bahr I doos, I gahs to go?
YUH KOM-fuh MEE mah peepoe oh-h-h!



Y’all Comfort Me

What happened Samuel K. Doe?
Is it you the people say should go?
Was it you that made Liberia ill?
You who have given them lots of rice,
Stuffed people’s pockets full of cash,
Paying their salary every month,
Sending their children all to school,
And people leaving everywhere
To come to this Liberia here.
You who brought justice to the land,
The tribes all working hand-in-hand,
Brought human rights, Upheld the law;
No monkey-work-while-baboon-draw.
What makes them so ungrateful so?
What wrong have I done that I must to go?
Y’all comfort me my people, oh-h-h!

Liberia Oh! Liberia by Toris Okotie

Liberia O. Liberia
On the streets lies the bodies of your young
the screaming echos of unweary souls
bullet blasting, unsuspected, dead

A boy, young in age
A Liberian soldier.
Educated only in the field of war
to write, he write's not
to kill, licensed and well informed

seven skulls of his victim
he counts his age
with pride and honor
he fights for his country

"liberia free, free liberia"
that was his last words
has he fell to the floor
waving the flag he so loved

has he lay down upon the ground he came from
the flag still waving, the hope still alive
another young soilder, same in age
in respect, with falling tears, closed his eyes
picked up the gun and continued to fight for liberia.

Monvrovia Market Women by Bai T. Moore

the Monrovia
market women
they are something-o
foreday in the morning
the pepperbirds
dog
goats and
chickens
chase them
out of bed and
send them running
like red ants
on nettles
they grab old buckets
run to hydrants
ch-u-u-u-u-u
and duck in
foul enclosures
smelling with pee
throw cold water
on they
back
belly
and between they legs
and all
they snatch
young crying babies
tie them smugly
on they back
in they mouth
to hush them up
then rush by
foot
bus or taxi
to the arteries
pumping life
into the markets
of Monrovia
they rush to
buying depots
Tubman Bridge
Doola
Belema (for Mesu fish)
Juakpebli
And Oldest Kongotown
to stop the
trucks and pickups
full of zoba bags of
cassavas
potatoes
plawa sauce leaves and
dry meat like:
wild bush goat
boaconstrictor
elephant skin
nyangaboy
and other fuyu fuyu
these women must have strong backs
and legs and hands to push and fight
and hold on to their market money
wrapped in a belt of country cloth
which they tie around the waist
but wait now the fun begins in
market stalls where chattering
and palavering (like a colony of rice birds)
and dollar notes and coins commence
passing like confusion through
a hundred thousand fingers
come good friend
buy my part me
I go dash you
goes on endlessly till dusk