uthor's Remarks:
In essence I'm a very resilient person and though enforcedly born British and clearly completely au fait with all which I distinctly actually need to know about British culture the culture however, which does irrefutably and quite evidently impact on me the most and which I really wholeheartedly embrace is unquestionably my Barbadian one; or as we Bajans affectionately say: "Distinctly so muh Bajan one!"

There are so many aspects of it that really in spite of Barbados being for the actually half of millennium it's been very intimately associated continuously with England, so much so that the British naturally referred to it as "Little England" and there are quite clearly numerous reasons for that, and I'll just give you two; you can obviously check out the rest of them for yourself: basically place names like Worthing, Brighton, also Cambridge and Yorkshire; Barbados rather proudly as well discernibly has the world's second oldest continuous parliament, still quite active and kicking, after the House of Commons in London, England. A state of affairs that goes back to 1639 when this very same parliament was established by the English, a mere 14 years after they'd first set foot on Bajan soil in 1625. Thus our links to England and subsequently as well Britain and the UK are intense. Even so we're a very proud and most thoroughly an independent minded people with quite clearly our own distinctive views on truly an entire raft of things.

Principally among these are our attitudes to life and death. Basically from childhood we're taught never to fear anyone, or anything, including death which instead of us seeing or else perceiving as a nemesis we must wholeheartedly welcome as a close and trusted friend. Bajans are undoubtedly but similarly pragmatically quite religious. We are intrinsically devotionally Anglican but independently so; just as instinctively also as we naturally respect other aspects of the Christian faith whose adherents are fully at liberty, and naturally have obviously always been significantly able to naturally and very crucially practise their own faith. An attitude which applies to other religions and people who choose not to have one of their own.

The oldest synagogue in the so-called New World: specifically the Caribbean and also the Americas, is very undoubtedly located in Barbados in our capital Bridgetown and where it was obviously, distinctly evidently and initially sited from its actual inception. There have literally been calls from outside sources that it should be bulldozed and, in its place, an appropriate museum, suitably established, quite discernibly in respectful and undeniably everlasting memory of the millions of slaves who were systematically and distinctly barbarically sacrificed on the racially and mercenary altar of sickeningly repulsive and obsessive greed, undeniably by white Caucasians, quite attendant with the full assistance of Arab cohorts and as well House Nigger African chiefs and all of which was initiated and evidently odiously spearheaded by Sephardic and obviously other European, white Caucasian Jews!

Instead, having quite unanimously rejected the truly, abhorrent notion that they should actually insensitively, essentially demolish a place of established worship, even in the knowledge that quite significant numbers of those who previously worshipped there weren't the honourable humans they rather very vaingloriously pretended to be, Bajans in effect refurbished that synagogue which is now a renowned UN World Heritage site. That's the character of the kind of people that we Bajans are.

Essentially because from birth we're also told and have it honourably drilled into us not to hate others, nor be vilely envious of their own natural and, undeniably, merited achievements. Since hate only consumes the individual who literally succumbs to it and effectively transforms the person that is obsessed with it into the person whom they're rather unquestionably demonizing. Detest by all means the clearly odious ills, evils and toxically verminous behaviour of others by all means, but never hate them!

Frankly and honestly I unquestionably do look forward to the day when once again I can happily join my departed ancestors in the after this earthly life. And whether you do believe it or not spiritually I'm normally and actually endearingly communicatively in touch with them individually and equally likewise jointly on an ongoing basis, and it always makes my day! But however much we as Bajans might love to join our dearly departed ones we're sensibly exhorted in our cultural upbringing, never to actually contemplate nor commit suicide. Not out of any sense of cowardice but principally because of the multitudinous numbers of personal sacrifices they've made and the distinctly barbaric treatment they've also endured over the centuries of Slavery and Colonialism for us to be here, and to quite gratuitously kill ourselves, and to actually do so for whatever reason would be a very demeaning slap in the face for them!

The title of this specific poem is decidedly from a eulogy to my Great Aunt Millie: very much a superb mentor in my life, rendered on the occasion of the actual outset of her blessed Heavenly journey.

#Redemption