Lola Rose

© Copyright Elizabeth Routledge, 2008
(Today my baby girl turns eleven! When i arrived in bellingen she was still in a pram!)

De girl dem – weh yuh come from?
I do it good when I done made dem!
Me brown skin babies, me girl child dem
daddy from Jah-mek-ya
me no take credit that yuh come through me!
Cimmaron child dem, pick ninny darlins.

One be sent to try me
meck me see dem bits
I don wanna see!
But baby girl, yuh a sweet mouth
café o’lait Shirley Temple!
I higherstand yuh singin me love
unconditional.

Yuh singin’ before yuh can talk
yuh climbin’ before yuh can walk
yuh sabi-so eyes
yuh cheeky- cheeky.

Lolita, little Lola, Yoruba meanin
one day yuh’ll be a beautiful woman
an yuh is a beautiful child
singin and dancing and crumpin and poppin
lookin’ deep with yuh liquid browns
yuh’ll meet any eye, meck em gets it straight
“y’all be my brother from another mother”
yuh gwine declare, fer all to hear
ef yuh sad or mad or glad.

Little miss lou
the lord knows
I love yuh.