short story excerpt from Mini Blagues from Trinidad

1. by Cheryl Lans
Excerpted from Mini Blagues from Trinidad
My family tree? Why certainly dear child I can tell you all
about that. Luckily we don’t keep our records in govern-
ment buildings that burn down, leaving us as nowherians.
There are many of us abroad you know and it is a good
thing too because so many dotish people are ready to kill us
and the snakes too.
Nowherians- Stateless, placeless, in this context not knowing
your lineage.

2. by Cheryl Lans
Excerpted from Mini Blagues from Trinidad
One of my most respected cousins actually spent some time
with one of the decent sort who fixed him up after a bad
drive broke one of his wings. Once he was released he went
to lime at Maracas beach thinking that there would be more
of those pardners.
Well who tell him to do that? He joined the deceased in no
time at all. You ever hear more? No broughtupsy on the
beach that day. Counoumounous abound yes child. They is
plenty too bad, dotish as the day is long.
Bad drive – careless driving; lime—relax, pardners—friends,
broughtupsy- Proper upbringing including concern for animal
welfare, Counoumounous- Ignorant people., dotish—stupid

3. by Cheryl Lans
Excerpted from Mini Blagues from Trinidad
That is me of course in the first two pictures. My
closest family Tyto alba, happily is common like pot hound
– although some small-island branches of the family are
getting meagre. We used to work mainly on farms but de
new thing now is to work in organic wineries, us for the
rodents and bats for the insects.
Common like pot hound- Plentiful; pot hound- Mixed breed dogs, De
- The; meagre – reduced in number

4. by Cheryl Lans
Excerpted from Mini Blagues from Trinidad
Yes
we in ting in
the US and
all about.
In ting- Involved in
the latest fashions.

5. by Cheryl Lans
Excerpted from Mini Blagues from Trinidad
This round-eye one looking like he maccoing the
neighbors is Mottley – Ciccaba virgata, his bars or bands
or stripes are not so obvious in this dual picture.
Maccoing- Minding their business.

6. by Cheryl Lans
Excerpted from Mini Blagues from Trinidad
Meggie and Mano,
two screech owls
eating- their
family name is
Megascops choliba.
This big-eared one is
Virginia, a horned
owl - family name
Bubo virginianus, hooter
from Virginia is the
rough Greek/Latin
translation of her
name.

7. by Cheryl Lans
Excerpted from Mini Blagues from Trinidad
This one in the fancy threads
is Trixie - Pulsatrix perspicillata is her
family name if you please. Jumbie
bird indeed. Yes that is what they call
she, all ah we in fact. Is jealous they
jealous and them so always playing
mas in fancy costume and funkie
washikong?
I never hear more.
Other people call her spec-
tacled owl since that reflects the
perspicillata part of her name.
Fancy threads— Fine feathers make fine birds. Jumbie- Spirit.
All ah we – all of us, mas- Carnival revelers; funkie
washikong—smelly sneakers

8. by Cheryl Lans
Excerpted from Mini Blagues from Trinidad
Yes this one is a baby
picture of William, is not
short he short. Ok, he is
going to grow up short
alright like the rest of his
family -
Gaucidium brasilianum,
all the Gaucidiums in
fact.
Some Europeans are the tallest people
in the world but apparently they
never reach here, maybe they stayed
in Jamaica. No use crying over the
past.
Napoleon was short and he hooked
up with a West Indian gyul if you
must know.
You didn’t know Josephine was a
Creole? Well you know now.

9. by Cheryl Lans
Excerpted from Mini Blagues from Trinidad
Josephine catch cold and
dead trying to pick up
some young man in a
flimsy dress. Playing farse
with sheself in pre-feminist
France; but that is a whole
nother story.
1801 Antoine-Jean Gros - Bonaparte on the Bridge
at Arcole
Hooked up with-Normally partnered with, in this case married; gyul-girl;
Creole—born in the West Indies.
Catch cold and dead- Died from a respiratory illness; playing farse
with sheself- Putting herself forward.

10. by Cheryl Lans
Excerpted from Mini Blagues from Trinidad
Here look at my French West Indies album; this is Athena,
a burrowing owl posing on Josephine ’ s parents ’ house in Mar-
tinique with a picture of the Creole sheself in one of those self-
same flimsy dresses. Well look at my crosses, I getting old oui-
mouth open story jump out. I getting all het up.
Look at my crosses- My cross to bear; mouth open story jump out-
Blurting out the truth: Creole proverb hors de bouche ouverte saut le
conte. Het up- Worked up.

11. by Cheryl Lans
Excerpted from Mini Blagues from Trinidad

12. by Cheryl Lans
Excerpted from Mini Blagues from Trinidad
OK, back to the Trini album.
When Papa God was sharing ears, Virginia
Asio flammeus
take nearly all and Sean here was left with
these small ones, hee hee. –

13. by Cheryl Lans
Excerpted from Mini Blagues from Trinidad
His family name is Asio flammeus—flaming owl,
no that is the Latin meaning, I not swearing.
They have a few small
branches of small island
family but I think we can
stop here and call that
George.
I amnot swearing; small island- smaller Caribbean islands ( smaller
than Trinidad ) . Call that George- The End.