No One Last Forever: 3 Short Poems:
"Harold The Rasta" & "Barrington Johnson" & "Neville and Job": 3 different people I knew and hung out with in Negril Jamaica, back in the day who are no longer with us...



Harold The Rasta

Harold The Rasta was a wood carver
an Artist who would never eat red meat
his dread locks were always wrapped up
in a bun of sorts, to make him look neat
he called the bush home and lived off the land
I would see him almost every day
he never pushed his wares on me
and always had kind words to say

Harold The Rasta had a little wood stand
you could see him there every day
down near the round about close to the bridge
and the beach wasn't that far away
I'd sit with him down at his stand
watch him create his works of Art
the finished piece was always amazing
considering what he had at the start
Harold The Rasta would walk the beach
when the fishermen came in at dawn
he pick up some food, buy some fish
and the next thing you knew he'd be gone
but come each morning round 8 o'clock
he would be in his stand carving again
I have many'a fond memory of him
I considered Harold my friend

Harold The Rasta is no longer alive
he died many years ago
but I wrote this poem about him
just so you who read it know
Harold was one of the first ever Artists
to sell his wood carvings down in town
it didn't take long, and it wasn't wrong
Harold The Rasta was know all around

AND

Barrington Johnson

Barrington Johnson was just a boy
back in Nineteen Seventy-Three
his grandmother, Grandma Johnson
was the woman who rented to me
she cooked my meals and did my wash
made sure I had every thing I could need
and I say everything that's what I mean
from Ackee [A] all the way to [W] weed

Barrington Johnson was a young boy
when I met him back in the day
and on a recent trip to The Red Ground
I heard Barrington passed away
after seeing how sad everyone was
when they told me the sad news that day
I felt a tear come to my eye
couldn't think of the right words to say....

AND

Neville And Job

Neville and Job were introduced to me
way back in Nineteen Seventy-Two
and when they said they had the best
trust me, what they said was true
they took me back in the bush
showed me things I will never forget
and to this day, I am sorry to say
that no one's treated me better yet

Neville and Job were both very well known
it fact you could say they were "Da Man"
and if you needed any thing at all
they'd get and seemed to understand
it's stupid to rip some body off
so they always gave more than a fair deal
I loved the way their product looked and smelled
and I loved the way it'd made me feel

Neville and Job are no longer around
after all they were old way back then
and sometimes I wish they were still around
so I could go meet them again
but nothing last forever
and no man can or ever will
but these memories in my head
are precious, and still give me a thrill

©2008 Jim Nasium