A Teacher’s Prayer

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Part One:

Lord Jesus I confess dat ‘A fed up, an’ I really jus’ don’t care

An’ to be truly truly honest, ‘A don’t want to go wuk today

Dem students dere don’t listen to any ‘ting you got to say

So ‘A only gon put on me clothes an’ come go fuh de government pay

A never mit such a harden an’ such a stubborn generation

You preach all day till you hoarse but ee still ain’t mek a difference

You try council, you share blows, you set lines, you gi detention

Yet dey always in de office fuh dey can’t do wid-out de attention

Some children does only show up because uh dey parents

An’ anudda set does com fuh news to pung melley wid dey frens

Jus’ check in dey school bag you see, dey ain’t got no pencil nor no pen

As fuh text book, dey too heavy, so dey nah bodda walk wid dem

A don’t know why dey does got de place so full uh graffiti an’ so dutty

Dey ain’t understan’ dat dis kinda ting could mek dem sick an’unheltie

An’ you can’t get dem to tek up de rubbish fuh de aint want de han’ get messy

Goin on like dey can’t mash ants, dem dere dey too cutie and dainty

More an’ more ‘A convinced dat de Ministry does pay me jus’ to chat to meself

De information does pass in one ear den right out thru de next

If dey aint sleepin’, dey gon be chattin’, or dey sendin’ some kind uh text

An’ if you say ‘Please sit! Pay attention!’ Dey actually got de heart to get vex

You talk ‘bout proper health an’ nutrition over an’ over an’ over

So dey brain could operate good, so dey improve dey test score

But ee does go through de front lobe an’ roll on out de back door

Lord Jesus I too weary an’ too tired, I can’t deal wid dem no more

But it would really tek a miracle if de would jus’ wuk an’ settle down

An’ stop waste time on de computa wid face book an’ twitter dot com

BF - is boy friend, LOL- is laugh out loud, an’ PAH mean - parents at home

Dat’s some kin’ a strange new language people got to go to learn

Now it is a whole nudda long story when it come to de uniform

Everybody want break de rules, nobody want to conform

‘Where is your crest?’, ‘In mi pocket.’, Where is your I.D.’, ‘I leave it home.’

Skirt too short, pants droppin’ down, dey shoes neither black nor brown

An’ a lot uh dem seriously tek school for some kinda dating club

Dey wouldn’t tek on dey school wuk, a whole set ‘a dem in luv

Dey always underneath each udda, like how han’ stick onto glove

Dey wouldn’t try to control deyself, like dey fraid de sex gon run out

Some skippin’ an’ runnin’ from class as if dey trainin’ fuh exploration

But you still can’t get dem do nothin’ when de time fuh heats come around

An’ because dey got all dis energy an’ dis whole heap uh sexual frustration

You does catch dem all over de place in all kinda angle an’ position

As fuh assembly dem kids dere does act like dey ain’t want hear ‘bout God

Dey face look so vex an’ push up as if you sendin’ dem to de gallows

Dey would hardly mek any effort to sing, you could barely hear a word

Dey so reluctant to open de mouth to pray, but dey does still find time to disturb

I really does feel like a wasting me precious energy an’ time

Dem students dere don’t listen to me, dey don’t pay me a single mind

Lord Jesus I on de floor, on me knees, wid me head down to de ground

An’ to be truly truly honest ‘A wish dat de whole school would just blow down

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Part Two

‘Teacher, I beg you please Teacher. ‘Teacher nuh budda give up!

A gon gi’ you de strength to go on, me grace is more dan enough

Just be kind, an’ warm an’ luving, but be fair an’ firm an’ tough

Dey gon’ forget all dat you teach dem, but dey gon always remember you luv.

Teacher I beg you please to go Teacher, fuh de sake uh dat one man child

Who so angry an’ mad an’ bitter, so full uh hatred an’ vengeance inside

If dat boy could only believe just how much I luv an’ honour him

An’ if he open de door to he heart, I gon fill up de void within’

If dat boy could just get it in he head, an’ he truly, truly understan’

Dat life is really wutt living an’ dat I Jehovah God, hav’ a master plan

Dat he ain’t got to sniff de crack or cocaine an’ stick needle up in he han’

Dat he ain’t got to fry out he brain or stay on de road to self annihilation

Gaza an’ Gully ain’t de solution, violence could neva be de cure

No gun or machete, no knife or ice pick, could neva even de score

Nor all de ray ray an’ bling bling dat dey does be killing each other fuh

Please …Go tell me son ’bout me luv, me luv so true an’ so pure

‘Teacher I beg you please to go Teacher, fuh de sake uh dat one woman child

Who bleedin’ an’ cryin’ an’ dyin’ an’ full uh self loathin’ inside

If dat gul could only believe just how much I luv an’ honour her

An’ if she open de door to she heart, I gon tek way de pain an’ de hurt

If dat gul could just get it in she head, an’ she truly, truly understan’

Dat life is really wutt living an’ dat I Jehovah God, hav’ a master plan

Dat she ain’t have to sell she body an’ soul just to hold on to some man

Dat she ain’t got to live wid shame or regret an’ lose she pride an’ distinction

She ain’t got to put on none uh dem small up an’ tight up clothes

Wid she belly an’ bum ‘a show an’ wid all she breastesis out ‘a door

Fuh people to ‘tink dat she is nothin’ more than some kind use-up whore

Please … Go tell me daughta bout me luv, me luv so true an’ so pure

‘I Elohim God mek some short an’ fat, an’ I mek some tall an’ skinny

Some a dem hair soft, long, an’ straight, some a dem hair hard, short an’ grippy

Some skin glow smooth like ivory, some skin shine bright like ebony

But I create dem all in a me image so dey must hold dey head wid dignity

I El Olam God is de same yesterday, today an’ foreva

I Shammah God neva leave nor forsake fuh anudda

I Rohi God stick closer dan any fren or any brudda

I El Shaddai God is de most faithful devoted luva

I Tsidkenu God hav’ so much luv dat I send me one Son

So whoeva a believe nah gon perish but a gon foreva more live on

I shed me blood on Calvary but how dey gon get to know

Dat dey could be saved an’ be set free: Teacher you got go?’

Teacher you gon go?’

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Part Three

Dear Jesus I come before You an’ ‘I humbly bow de knee

I too shame ‘bout me attitude fuh You always so patient wid me

Over de years You shower me wid nottin’ but grace an’ mercy

I can’t be a hypocrite Lord, an’ give up ‘pon dem pickney

I ley down me will, one more time, an’ surrender to You Elohim

Fuh it’s all about You Jesus, it not ‘bout money nor how I feeling

‘A gon tell you sons an’ daughtas ‘bout You luv so true an’ pure

Yes, Father I got to go! Father I gon go!

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By Vinette Halliday

January, 2010