AINT NO BUD IN DA HEART OF DA CITY
Whaddya do when da BUD aint rite fi yuh
Toronto mi home base butt Jamaica in mi DNA.
Yet St. Louis is where I stay cuz mi decide to tek da leap ah faith.
Mi been ah weed smoka on n off since mi churn 14 and now mi 38 so let deez words marinate:
Toronto has access to summa da best n affordable strain ah weed — nuh matta it come from da plug or dispensary.
Mi favorite bud ah Sativa Hybrid ting call Space Queen dat put you on a level.
Not ESCAPEMENT butt UPLIFTMENT.
Mi carry Space Queen one time — ah Jamaican funeral backyard ting — n mi stay rollin up spliff fi dem in front ah all da Aunties while we rap bout dis ting call LIFE.
Mi nuh feel shame fi smoke weed — mi use balance.
Dem feel lighta from when we smoke it — n dem agree da BUD could gwan.
Lemme tell yuh rite now: nuh bodda fi search it out nuh — yuh nuh find it.
Dey tek it off di market fi 2 years!
Mi steady ask round di city n it evaporate from mi existence.
Like poof…vamoose son of a bitch!
But mi nawww lose hope.
It be da first ting mi ask fi when me go reup — den mi juss seckle on what mi affi deal wit.
Mi find it one day at a random Asian dispensary:
Me: Yuh got Space Queen?
Lady: Yeah we got in.
Me: Donnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnt play wit me.
Lady: Yeah Yeah I got here.
(Mi buss out inna dance)
Me: Mi tek it all.
Turn out she nuh have dat much BUD n good ting cuz it nuh behave like da ORIGINAL.
Dey done churn dis fi be more hybrid den my biracial rass.
It could still gwan but mi seh yuh cyan find OG SPACE QUEEN noooo place.
But I digress.
Mi seh ALLA dat fi unnerstand dis: mi love BUD.
So when mi touch down in STL n dem ah bring mi BUD afta diffrent BUD — mi affi scratch mi head top in confusion.
Wha di BUMBA BUD ah dis?
Dem ah weak n exhausted BUD.
Dem ah why yuh wet n dry n hard to break down? type ah BUD.
Dem ah dis da highest level of THC/CBD but stay mid vibrational at best type ah BUD.
No laughing gas.
And dem expensive as SCUNT!
Specially wit mi weak ass Canadian Dolla.
Mi work da same as yuh but mi affi get lower wage fi just a lighta version ah racism?
Dat nuh mek it.
Decisions had to be made while mi type out mi weed woes in dis prose:
Dis da last BUD mi pay fi smoke in STL.
Mebbe its me.
Butt dat nuh mek it.
Toronto…I soon come.
BIO
TABITHA BLAIR is a code-switching Jamaican/Canadian writer who was born n raised in Toronto, Canada. And the author of the upcoming novel AGENT DAWN DADA to be published by Black Pulp Fiction Publishing House. You can find more of her writings on Substack, Amazon ad Twitter.
SUBSTACK: rudegaltabrants.substack.com
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/mstabithablair
