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I like to stay up
I like to stay up
and listen
when big people talking
jumbie stories
I does feel
so tingly and excited
inside me
But when my mother say
“Girl, time for bed”
Then is when
I does feel a dread
Then is when
I does jump into me bed
Then is when
I does cover up
from me feet to me head
Then is when
I does wish I didn't listen
to no stupid jumbie story
Then is when I does wish I read
me book instead
From Under the Moon and Over the Sea
(“Jumbie” is a Guyanese word for “ghost”.)
Why not try...
- watching Grace Nichols in the video below talking about where she got the inspiration for this poem.
- having a go at telling a story you know to a friend.