The Signifyin' Woman (Charmaine Valere)

"The business of magic" by Peter Sam

Peter Sam is a regular commenter here at signifyinguyana, and one of the four writers whose submission to last year's writing competition was deemed promising by the judges.  Sam also shared his real sex story with us a few months ago, which was, and continues to be, a much-read post.  Here he is again with a story about a certain kind of magic.

Amerindians in Guyana believe that some plants act as charms for various animals, fish, and yes, for men and women too. 

Palmero Daniels, a man of Amerindian and Black extract, and the first friend I ever had, believed the Bheena plant could fix any problem a man was having with his woman.  He would make a solution of perfume and oils in which he placed the Bheena plants, and convinced men it contained the remedy for all types of woman problems.  If a man wanted a woman, or if he wanted his woman or wife to come back home, Palmero had a Bheena for it.

For women, he had concoctions with names like "stay home" (for those walkabout never at home husbands), "send money but don't come" (if she had a husband or man who worked in the interior or in the gold fields and she wasn't fond of him being home), and "see and don't say" (for those unfaithful women who wanted to be with other men and keep their husbands quiet).  Man Palmero had it going for him.  He had a large customer base spreading across the Berbice area and reaching as far as the east coast of Demerara.  Business was good; the man was highly recommended like a good doctor.

His most popular Bheena concoction was called "come back to me."  He said it would bring back your woman or wife no matter why she left, and she would never leave again.  Men bought it up like hot cakes, until a certain fateful happening.

I heard somewhere that when you in the relationship magic business, it is best to stay single, but Palmero had a wife, a beautiful girl from Bartica.  And as life goes sometimes, she left him for another man.  And no matter what Palmero did he just could not get her to come back.  She was immune to the Bheena.  When Palmero's customers found out, some asked back for their money and others just threw away the potions.  And though there were the diehards and the faithful believers in the magic, they were not enough to keep Palmero's business alive.

Palmero disappeared.  I didn't see him again for about three years.  When I saw him again, he was back in business taking spirits out from mostly women and sometimes adding them to so called evil doers.  He was back and booming, making claims he could bind spirits, chase vampires, and take off bad eye.

People with years of expensive book learning and with lots of experience in the business world know when your business going sour, you can sometimes diversify and save it.  Palmero didn't go to school to learn that; he was just born like that.

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Note: Sam first published this story here under the alias "The Johnny."  The above version of it is a blog-friendly rewrite, which admittedly takes away some of its original flavour.  Your comments?

Free exposure? (sometimes seen as FREE exposure!)

Questions for you writers: Would you prefer hundreds of people reading your work for free in a public place, or a select few reading your work in a relatively private place?  Would you prefer to have a curriculum vitae of work published in renowned literary magazines / journals, or a popular writer's blog with followers who regularly interact with you and your writing?

Would free access to your work diminish its value?

I ask these unfair questions, because I'm considering using this space (this blog) to publish the winning submissions to the next writing competition (in their entirety).  Of course, I can't guarantee you hundreds of readers, and of course there will still be monetary compensations involved... What do you think?  Would you like to have your good writing published here at signifyinguyana?

In retrospect and looking forward

I spent the last few days rereading last year's posts and comments on posts, and my conclusion is that despite the bumpy ending, 2009 was a good year around here.  And today I received an invitation to join in on the discourse on Caribbean writing, which made me feel even more certain that the fallout from my efforts on this blog last year will be mostly good. I am grateful for those who have been and continue to be friends and supporters of this blog.

The list of resolutions I've made for the new year (concerning my writing here) is short, focused, and realistic: I intend to keep it going, I intend to do it regularly (at least twice a week), and to keep it honest.  Note no where in there is a sentiment against fighting.  I can't and won't avoid fights. The signifier is a word warrior. So watch out now!

I wish all who read me a new year filled with good health, love, genuine friendships, and fair fights.

This month, among other things, I'll bring you Pauline Melville's Eating Air, and the late E.A. Markham's Against the Grain.  Both writers give us much to chew on and delight in about the purpose and the direction of writing done by writers with Caribbean roots who live outside of the Caribbean.  Should be fun to explore.

There is also much to chew on and delight in concerning writing done by writers based in the Caribbean.  Some of that new writing is available for all to see for free here at Tongues of the Ocean (Bahamas based) and Town (Trinidad based).  And a Guyanese-based writer seems eager to show off what he has been doing and has generously offered his work for publication here.  So there is much to be showcased, and I re-dedicate myself to bringing you as much of it as I can.  Hope you enjoy.  

Keep reading, writing, and add your comments too!