Half-Caste

• “Excuse me/ standing on one leg/ I’m half-caste”
• “Explain yuself /wha yu mean/ when you say half-caste”
• “light an shadow /mix in de sky /is a half-caste weather […then] england weather /nearly always half-caste”
• “so spiteful dem dont want de sun pass /ah rass”
• “an mix a black key /wid a white key /is a half-caste symphony”
• “I’m sure you’ll understand /why I offer yu half-a-hand /an when I sleep at night /I close half-a-eye”
• “but yu must come back tomorrow /wid de whole of yu eye /an de whole of yu ear /an de whole of yu mind/ an I will tell yu /de other half of /my story”
• • Born in Guyana in 1949
  • He had Caribbean father + Portuguese mother (mixed race)
  • 1977 - comes to Britain + angry with people who referred to him as "half-caste"
  • Tells off people for using this term as they don't think about what it really means