by Mark McWatt

You think I like all this stupidness

gallivanting all night without skin

burning myself out like cane –fire

To frighten the foolish?

And for what? A few drops of baby blood?

You think I wouldn’t rather

take my blood seasoned in fat

black-pudding, like everyone else?

And don’t even talk ‘bout the pain of salt

And having to bend these old bones down

To count a thousand grains of rice!

If only babies didn’t smell so nice!

And if I could only stop

Hearing the soft, soft call

Of that pure blood running in new veins,

Singing the sweet song of life

Tempting an old, dry-up woman who been

Holding her final note for years,

Afraid of the dying hum…

Then again, if I didn’t fly and come

to that fresh pulse in the middle of the night,

how would you, mother,

name your ancient dread,

And who to blame

for the murder inside your head…?

Believe me –

As long as it have women giving birth

A poor ol’ higue like me can never dead.

Summary

In McWatt’s ‘Ole Higue,’ there is the central focus on Caribbean folklore and the supernatural character that is also referred to as a jumbie, soucouyant and backoo. The “Ole Higue” is a vampire and a witch. She is nocturnal and sheds her skin at nights; stores it in a mortar and turns into a ball of fire before going about to suck the blood of babies.

In the poem, Ole Higue seems to be unhappy and bitter because of her situation. She defends the involuntary nature of her compulsive behaviour. She seems disgusted by the mothers of young children, and yet she strongly believes she is important to the society. Ole Higue takes the blame for the infanticidal tendencies of some mothers as well as events that cannot be explained. One could say that she is self-absorbed as well as clever and insightful.

Nonetheless, the Ole Higue hopes or wishes that she did not hold such an affinity for children. Still, she accepts the myth that surrounds her existence as the myth that surrounds her existence will always exist in a society where mothers have children and need something or someone to blame for the deaths of their children.

Mood

• irritable,
• smug and
• bitter.

Tone

• Argumentative
• Defensive
• Reflective
• Sensitive

Analysis

“You think I like all this stupidness gallivanting all night without skin burning myself out like cane –fire/To frighten the foolish?”

The first line in the poem is one that is explosive and argumentative. The choice of words (language) in this line is clearly Caribbean. It shows that the Ole Higue is an old, irritable woman who willingly expresses her great dissatisfaction with her role. But one realizes that she is compelled to do so completely involuntarily. The line also speaks to the Caribbean folklore of the old woman who sheds her skin at night and turns into ball of fire and scares superstitious people. She believes that this is a stupid act that was designed to “frighten the foolish” who would believe in the myth. The poet uses alliteration in ‘frighten the foolish.’

“And for what? A few drops of baby blood?”

The Ole Higue is rational in her thoughts as she reasons the entire act of setting herself on fire without skin and flying around. She believes that this is far more effort than it is worth. After all, she notes that a baby’s body holds hardly any blood, and for a mythical creature to instinctively endure this routine for such an insignificant quantity is not rewarding at all.

“You think I wouldn’t rather take my blood seasoned in fat

black-pudding, like everyone else?”

The Ole Higue knows that the blood of a baby is not as seasoned as that of an adult and therefore she would rather have her blood well-seasoned and in black-pudding. This would indicate that while she refuses the unrewarding task, she is forced to accept this task.

“And don’t even talk ‘bout the pain of salt And having to bend these old bones down To count a thousand grains of rice!”

Here is another reference to folklore in the poem. The Ole Higue must be aware of salt as this will kill or injure her. She has no skin when she transforms, and this makes it easy for the salt to become hurt. If the salt is placed into the mortar with her skin in it, she can no longer put it on. Rice will also prevent her from reaching the infants. The folklore of the Ole Higue suggests that if people place rice at the front of their doors, then she cannot enter their homes. The Ole Higue must count each grain of rice before she can enter the home. This is designed to keep the Ole Higue counting until sunrise and thus preventing her from entering the house to suck the baby’s blood. The Ole Higue continues to face obstruction as she tries to drink the blood of babies. In the folklore, this should make her frustrated and miserable.

“If only babies didn’t smell so nice! And if I could only stop/ Hearing the soft, soft call Of that pure blood running in new veins, Singing the sweet song of life Tempting an old, dry-up woman who been Holding her final note for years, Afraid of the dying hum…”

Here the Ol’ Higue is deeply attracted to the blood of the baby. As such, she presents this as her distraction for sucking the blood of the babies. Allegedly she is tempted by that pure, untainted scent of babies’ blood. She finds this alluring. The poet uses alliteration in “singing the sweet song of life” which shows that the blood of the infant is attractive to the Ol’ Higue. The blood of the children represents new life, and this new life is one that she would hold for years. Babies represent the start of a new life but the Ol’ Higue is at the end of her life. Therefore, the blood of the infant would ensure that there is a natural process to life.

“Then again, if I didn’t fly and come to that fresh pulse in the middle of the night, how would you, mother, name your ancient dread,”

The Ol’ Higue accepts her role as one who must take the blame for the unexplainable events in the society. She says “you” when she refers to these mothers. One could say that she is the tale on which mothers lay their blame when there is the fear of death of their babies. Without her, she accepts that these mothers would have no one to hold responsible for the death of their babies (even if the babies were to die from natural causes.)

“And who to blame for the murder inside your head…?

Believe me – As long as it have women giving birth/A poor ol’ higue like me can never dead.”

She points out that these mothers blame the Ole Higue for the death of their children even if they had committed infanticide. As such they would need to channel their rage to someone such as the Ol’ Higue. She knows that for as long as there are women giving birth to children, they will need a scapegoat to blame for the bad that happens to their children. Hence, the myth of the Ol’ Higue’s existence can never die.