"Ayiti Haiti" by Marcella A. Andre
At a recent Expressions: Poetry in the Pub, mounted by August Rush Productions, I witnessed Marcella Andre as she recited her poem inspired by the devastating earthquake in Haiti last month. Lest we forget...
Ayiti Cheri
By Marcella A. André
Un Treblement ….
Deux Tremblements…. …
Des Tremblements… … …
The aftershocks keep coming
They shake me from within.
I can’t understand this….what a way for this year to begin
My thoughts can never remain unchanged
I am forced to sit up and face my humanity, never lost, more clarity I’ve regained
I am forced to grieve with my brothers and sisters
I want to do so much more, my heart cries, no….my heart wails,
The voices in my head, the weeping in my heart, there is no avail…
Yele! Yele
We are one people, united by love, united by grief, I feel their pain
Oh Haiti, why? Why? Your independence has NEVER been obtained
The world watches in wonder, in awe, in cataclysmic pain
Sending prayers, meditation, libation, sending ….NEVER ENOUGH!
To heal, to soothe, to repair all that has been lost,
No amount of money or prayers can ever match the cost …
of lives, of hopes, of dreams, of humanity, and sanity…down the drain
I am humbled at life’s feet,
I want to help, I want to hold the little babies hands
I want to hold the crying mothers, and fathers, and sisters….and cousins and aunts,
And ….but, I can’t, Can I? I can ….I can’t …I can, we can hold them in our spirits and hearts
We can together fill a bucket, be a mother to a child, send money, yes yes…and prayers too..but don’t think that for a minute that your prayers and good will alone will do
La terre a tremble (The earth shook)
Zenfants ka hélé (Children are screaming)
Familles ka pleuré (Families are crying)
Qui Sa yo fait bon dieu (What have they done God?)
Yélé!! (Help)
Yo ja ni assez (They’ve already had enough)
Cyclone, politique, une histoire tellement tragique (Hurricane, Politics, such a tragic history)
Yélé Haiti, Yélé Haiti, Yélé Haiti (Help Haiti, Help Haiti, Help Haiti)
Yélé Haiti cheri (Help my darling Haiti)
An Mwé!!!!!!!!! (this is a plea for help)
