Well with the mango upon us in such abundance, I thought I'd post the Jamaican mango song and a poem by Glasceta Honeyghan

Mango time


Mi nuh drink coffee tea mango time
Care how nice it may be mango time
In the heat of the mango crop
When di fruit dem a ripe an drop
Wash your pot turn dem down mango time

De terpentine large an fine, mango time
Robin mango so sweet, mango time
Number eleven an hairy skin
Pack di bankra an ram dem in
For di bankra mus' full, mango time

Mek wi go a mango walk, mango time
For is only di talk mango time
Mek wi jump pon di big jackass
Ride im dung an no tap a pass
Mek di best a di crop, mango time

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MANGO, SWEET MANGO

Mango—smooth, juicy, ripe and drop
Shake the tree; they fall Plop! Plop! Plop!
Fetch the fallen fruit; fill the pan
Heading home to feast, fast as we can...

Mango, mango syrupy sweet
Call out the names; clap to the beat:

Alphanso, Bastard, Beefy,
Belly Full, Blacky, Bluie,
Bombay, Common, Cowfoot,
East Indian, Fine Skin, Graham,
Green Gauge, Green Skin, Haden,
Hairy, Hamilton, Julie,
Keith, Kent, Kidney,
Longy, Maamie, Millie,
Number ‘leven, Red jaw, Robin,
Stringy, Tommy Atkins, Turpentine.

Some like a smoothie, oh so sweet,
Pies and jams—that’s the way others eat.
In salads or marmalades, some have fun
Me, I bite the flesh, lick the dripping juice, one by one.

--Glasceta Honeyghan © 2013