Down in the Subway

The storyteller's voice sets the scene vividly: "It was hot in that subway train. Ohhh, yes!" Young Oscar is swinging round and round a pole-and peeking at the one cool rider in the car. She's the Island Lady, and with a smile at Oscar she's just pulled a blue Island breeze out of her shopping bag. Then the green Caribbean Sea itself, a picnic lunch of ackee rice, salt fish, callaloo, soursop soup, guava, pineapple, and coconut tarts. And, look, here's the Calypso Man. And, listen, there's a whole hot train full of people singing along and dancing to a sudden steel band. The pictures offer up a feast of color and movement. They seem to dance themselves, just as Oscar and his family do at the Island Lady's urging.