Cuntridayri: ol v lîf lîz in ɖ plantd sīd
(Transcription of a Guardian article of 29 April 2021)
Stǒc-on-Trent, Wst Midḷndz: I plant Frenć maṛgold, c’lenɉla n nstrśm. Ɖs z ɖ frst hopfl step t trnñ mî yard intu a smōl wilḍnis
Josi Jorj, 29 Epril 2021
Mî cuntrisîd z a smōl terist yard, brict in bî pīlñ hǎzz n crumḅlñ wōlz. It z ɖ onli cuntrisîd I’v hd axes t fr a loñ tîm, bt it hz ol ɖ importnt parts: gd rʈ, ʈñz ɖt gro, ʈñz ɖt sñ, crōl n búz. Mî fizicl dis’biḷti cīps m cntend hir, bt dspt m, it z a ples v endlis lîf n muvmnt.
Evri yir, sīdz bcm gd cmpańnz in cnstrent, tīćñ m ẃt rstrix́n z n ẃt it z’nt, śowñ m ẃn t wêt n ẃn t muv. Hvr loñ n cold ɖ wintr, ivnć̣li I gt t tec mî frst unstedi steps dǎn ɖ paʈ t ɖ potñśed – ɖ old ǎthǎs in fact, pîld hî wɖ sīd trez n flǎrpots – t bgin any. No matr ẃt grù or feld last yir, I gt t fil ɖ trez, start agn. I spend ol v Marć smîlñ. Hǎ cn y nt?
Ɖ wundr v it. Frenć maṛgoldsīdz lîc fẹri aroz, ɖ draid-up caṭpilrz v c’lenɉla, śrivld brenz v nstrśm. Sīdz lîc storiz. Sīdz lîc dust. It tecs m fr evr t sǒ ɖm bcz I c’nt hlp bt pōr ovr ɖm. Ɖe r yuñ lîc m, bt lc tîrd, drî n yslis, mć lîc m tù, n yt, n yt. I hold ɖz tîni, stil specs in mî handz n I nǒ ɖt wɖ inuf v ɖm, I cd līv ɖs ples n trn ɖ hol śabi tǎn I liv in intu a hol ny sort v cuntrisîd.
Smtmz I imajin ʈrowñ ɖm in fistḟlz fṛm mî mbiḷtiscūtr, slǒli woćñ flǎrz tec ovr evri oṿlct crac. Fr nǎ, I scatr mî sīdz nītli, rstrend, intu mî wêtñ trez, saṭsfaid ɖt ɖ smōl wilḍnis I cn mc in mî yard z inuf, bt I lîc nwñ ɖt I cd. I ges ol sīdz drīm v spredñ.
Az I sǒ, I ẃispr ɖ gretist prer v hop n trust I nǒ: “Bt wl y gro? Wl y b wɖ m hir?” N ɖen Epril cmz n ɖ qsćn z ansrd. “Yes,” se ɖ ny śūts. “Yes”.
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