Guyanese Online

Suicide has to be a polygon….And here is another side

By Ron Persaud

        My earliest context of the word was “high drama”. The adults in my life discussed tragedy in a manner of a ‘perai frenzy’ at the scent of blood in the water. Suicide, occasional to be sure, raised headlines and was the subject of discussion from the market pave to the cake shop which my paternal grandmother  operated.

“Bhajee” must have been a well known personality in Albuoystown; because, when he ‘drank poison’ everyone seemed to remember some event centering  around him and his dog(s).

“Manoo” was a goldsmith; and in this instance, I began to learn about the deadly ‘potash’ and ‘arsenic’. The latter, I heard as “horse nick” – subject for much derision! History was to repeat itself when I proudly labeled a container “Life Salt”. It should have been ‘Lysol’ – of course! Or “Jeyes Fluid”, which you can correctly guess, I heard as “J. S. Fluid”. More derision, at my expense.  Continue reading →