True T&T currency: "Gold coin tenor pan design"

Posted By: Jesse Andrews
Date: Monday, 7 July 2003, at 11:12 a.m.

I too have the T&T 1978 fifty cents coin with the pan design and T&T twenty dollar bill with the tiny pans chook up one side in a corner ....but ah bet you any money if any other country did give birth to the pan, you would have seen pan as the center peice on at least ah hundred dollar bill....why we so short sighted? Why are we treating our national treasure as if it has no value? No wonder the spirits of great panmen fed up ........

SPIRITS OF PAN MONEY

by the Pan Poet (Jesse Andrews)

In the heart of the Twin Tower
The country's financial power
Spirits of pan haunted at the midnight hour
They went wild on a rampage
Determined to do some serious damage
If steelpan was not made Monarch on we dollar

So the Minister of Finance
Organised a big big seance
Ministers of Government and others gathered quickly
Serving black coffee and biscuits
They call forth the Pan Spirits
Promising to listen to their demands quite intently

But it wasn't until fore-day morning
Just before the cock start crowing
Did de Spirits of Pan appear at an ungodly hour
Saying don't allow Japan or America
Or a Caribbean neighbour like Jamaica
To be bigger promoters of pan on their dollar

Then with the smile of an exorcist priest
The Minister of Pan conjured up a 1978 fifty cents peice
Expecting the pan design on the coin to end de bacchanal
But a Bad John Spirit shouted in anger
Forget de small change, we talking 'bout dollar, dollar, dollar!
And fling the fifty cents in the Dry River Canal

Preference and recognition on the T&T dollar
Favour Mother nature's flora and fauna
And even the financial complex got a big center fold chance
But in a country where steelpan is the culture
A national treasure and the future
The Spirits steups when shown pan's twenty dollar glance

Oh how can this be fair
The Spirits of Pan declare
Pan deserves a greater prominence on T&T money
Then with a gold bar and hammer in hand
A Laventille Spirit fashioned a 100 dollar gold coin tenor pan
As an example of true true T&T currency

Recommending pan should be King on the T&T dollar
And not chook up one side in a corner
The Spirts then left as the first cock started a shrill
And so the enlighten seance pan-money committee
Agreed it's time to mint our special steelpan money
So the Spirits of Pan could rest in peace on the Hill.

(Extract from the book of poems entitled "PORT OF PAN: throw ah eye on de pan" by Jesse Andrews.

Messages In This Thread

True T&T currency: "Gold coin tenor pan design"
Jesse Andrews -- Monday, 7 July 2003, at 11:12 a.m.

Re: True T&T currency: "Gold coin tenor pan design
Jesse Andrews -- Tuesday, 8 July 2003, at 10:26 p.m.

Whe Pan Reach
Johnny Coomansingh -- Tuesday, 27 July 2004, at 3:28 p.m.