Dudley Time Portal

Caribbean One Stop The sign above the door Shows a tropical island But in Dudley Town There’s a chill in the air As Earl runs nine miles Before jam and toast and A cup of tea with nine sugars To recharge batteries. He’s not getting any younger but Age is just a mindset. When you’ve worked forty years On the wholesale markets Grafting and providing Your perspective shifts To what is really important. We talk family Community Among plantain and yams We talk heritage Education Among chopped hake and Jamaican pears. Gloria can’t find any mangos Because Earl has stashed them Behind the counter Too soft and sweet for handling. When he gets a ripe breadfruit Earl thinks of Gloria “Know your customers” He tells me “Know a little bit about everything”. I ask Gloria about Triple Blue Cross She tells me about white shirts Bed linen Drying under a Jamaican sun This shop is an education If you just ask the right questions. Earl’s father came in 1954 Bloodlines stretched Across continents Across boundaries Nigeria Scotland Jamaica Germany A mix Earl’s grown into Via Handsworth Birmingham England. He knows a Bristol accent When he hears one They talk about Montpelier Meat markets in Newport Veg markets in St Pauls She comes from Tipton each month To get the things she needs It’s personal She likes personal. The freezer is full of Chicken feet Ox tail Turkey neck Cow foot Flavour is the thing Even water gets spiced For mash Earl tells me As he trims Ghanian yam With a very sharp knife To just the right size. There is barely anything I recognise in this shop But I’m drawn to the colours The stories The journey The difference Halfway around the world or Baked up the road For customers who bang on the window and wave Who stand in the doorway Giving back the banter Who leave with the Caribbean In a blue plastic bag. I leave with a bag of Zoomers Earl tells me “That once I taste Jamaica I’ll be back” I stand in the High Street Cheesy snacks in hand Reminding myself To buy two packets next time.