JOANNE C. HILLHOUSE

In Antigua,
“wife” is sex or the female sex organ – you know the one
“knuckle” is when your woman gives “wife” to another man
“keep woman” is your side piece – you know, the woman you “dey wid” on the side
We don’t have a word in Antiguan for the man your wife keeps
No keep-man nor, for that matter, male “wife”
Though the male appendage is called bud or teelie or ‘tone (as in hard ‘tone man)
As if to say it might be a wee wee thing but it’s always hard – as if
“Knuckle” at least is gender neutral
Man knuckle woman, woman knuckle man
That’s true in any language

Antiguan and Barbudan writer Joanne C. Hillhouse has eight published (children’s, teen/YA, and adult) books of fiction and has published fiction, poetry, play excerpts, and non-fiction in several Caribbean and global anthologies and journals. She freelances as a writer, editor, and workshop facilitator, writes the CREATIVE SPACE art and culture column, and heads the Wadadli Pen Inc. non-profit, which nurtures and showcases the literary arts in Antigua and Barbuda. She is the 2023 Anthony N. Sabga Award – Caribbean Excellence arts and letters laureate. More on her at http://jhohadli.wordpress.com