jamaica
is not south africa
although a black elite
rules
the poor man
and the rich man
rub shoulders
the boy
who keeps their pool clean
and their garden manicured
must watch their son
while he swims
but he's forbidden
to join him
they are both
black
jamaica
is not south africa
minimum wages
are in effect
blacks browns
and whites
fraternize
decorum foreign
dress western
speech imitation
she's a live-in
rises at 6 am to
prepare their breakfast
clears the dinner table
at 7 pm
irons a dress
for the misses at 9 pm
for good wages
her mother keeps
her child
worker and employer
are black female mothers
jamaica
is not south africa
down the road
from a million dollar
home equipped with
a satellite dish
three colour tvs vcr
and swimming pool
is a shack with no
indoor plumbing
ten to two rooms
but dem lazy
dem lack ambition
jamaica
is not south africa
independence
is celebrated
every august 6th