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'Popo'



Popo, the carpenter, "What yuh making?" "Ah boy, a ting wit out a name". My favorite line from Miguel Street. Naipaul saw Trinidad society for exactly what it was. Many disagree, it is felt that he abandoned his place of birth but I guess he could never have lived here. The Rock was too small a place for the great writer. I knew his family, the Capildeos, who lived in St James. In my early salesman days hawking quarrying equipment, I met Mr. Capildeo and his sister who I remember to be Naipaul's mother, wonderful people. RIP Sir Naipaul.

I guess Sir Vidia understood the people of the Rock. Like why do we think that everyone else in the valley needs to listen to your own music? Or why if the garbage pick up is on Monday, Wednesday and Friday residents feel the urge to put it out days before, or the fact that once it is not in front of your house then it does not exist. I do not mean to trivialize his life by any means but I am sure that he could not live here on the Rock because of our seemingly small minds. My neighborhood says it all. It tells a tale of who we are, politics, everyday life, we simply not bothered.

This week was thunder on the Rock, Cabinet reshuffle, the appointment of a CoP, finally, and a vehicle stolen twice in one day. The so-called leader and beacon of democracy and independence of the print media had as its front page the stolen vehicle story of its anchor broadcaster being dealt a double whammy. It's as though this was the greatest crime perpetrated on any citizen, ever. No wonder VS packed his bags and headed out.

"A stranger could drive through Miguel Street and just say 'Slum!' because he could see no more." But to its residents this derelict corner of Trinidad's capital is a complete world, where everybody is quite different from everybody else. There's Popo the carpenter, who neglects his livelihood to build "the thing without a name."

 The earth continues to spin, the Rock is in a place like everywhere else, VS had his take on life, we continue to exist, tomorrow is another day.

 Good night and good luck people of the Rock and do not ever forget Popo and 'a ting wit out a name'.




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