HARRY BISSOON

  THE DECEITFUL ONE   Harry Bissoon "What is the old serpent who cannot shed his skin, and calls others naked and shameless?"  "...You can muffle the drum...but who shall command the skylark not to sing?" KAHLIL GIBRAN Deception is surreptitiously all pervading in living things, in varying degrees on the scale of life, especially amongst humans! While lower levels of life use it as a form of struggle in the natural process of meaningful survival, it belies the complexity of the human ability to say and do things that are not true. A plant will emerge from a seed and produce fruit that is accepted by all as the rightful produce of that seed! An animal will respond in ways that we expect, when faced with circumstances in which they live,survive, and perish.It is only the human being who has the ability to do, to act, to lie, to deceive, and to create illusions of truth, that are tailor made to suit their individual preferences.  We may know someone who behaves in ...

  THE CHICKEN SHOULD HAVE  NEVER CROSSED THE ROAD Harry Bissoon  4/14/2021 Raising chickens, and ducks, was an integral part of my family structure. It was a well needed source of meat, to be consumed in delicious, mouth watering curries, stews, soups, and cook- up rice, and, of course, to have an ample supply of chicken eggs. My role in this structural food chain was tasked with feeding them, and to ensure that they had clean, well kept  coops.   I was very enthusiastic in my youthful, energetic zeal, to care for them, to ensure that they were fattened, and in good health. A plentiful supply of food kept them content and restful, and the hens produced an ample supply of eggs.  The ducks were hilarious! They were unstoppable poopers!  With every few, ambling steps, they pooped, not mindful where they left their wet, watery, mushy discharge. And it seemed as if they were happy about it! Their quackery, with wide open beaks looked as though they wer...

  TRIALS, TRIBULATIONS AND TRAGEDY Harry Bissoon  We live in times of agony and pain! It surrounds us, creeping slowly, with tentacles of fear and death, intent on creating ripples that can unsettle us. Death encroaches around us, and we are bombarded with news and announcements of friends and family who have succumbed.  Azeem Yakub, popularly known as 'Swiss', is the latest, in a series of deaths, attributed to our present scourge.  I grew up with Azeem, and news of his death was profoundly felt. He was a quiet, easy going guy, who had a knack for business. His aka name, Swiss, was acquired through his expertise as a watch technician. He always told me,  and those of us from the neighborhood, that Swiss made watches were the best. This mantra stuck with him, and thus, the name Swiss. He was courteous and friendly. When I worked with the Ministry of Education, and later with the Guyana Rice Board, he would always call out to me when I pass his shop, using endear...

  STANDPIPE DIPLOMACY  Harry Bissoon  When I was in my teens the standpipe was the point of social interaction.It was the web browser that took us surfing, gathering and sharing information, enriching not only our information network, but also touching our emotional and romantic musical strings. It was a meeting place that created bonds of friendship, and even enmity, that has followed us into our years of maturity and mellowed contentment.  Before the sun rose in golden brilliance, we had already made several trips, back and forth, fetching bucketfuls of water, for cooking,washing,drinking, and bathing.Water tumbed over the rims of swaying buckets as we raced to complete this chore, spending time in between trips to chat, gossip, and bond with each other.  The standpipe bore witness to lasting relationships that cemeted itself into nuptial knots. On many occasions, parents called out from kitchen windows to remind us that we had to make haste, to fetch water, a...