MY PEOPLE
http://antillesdomstation.jimdo.com/
Inspired by the February 12th, 2010 earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
My people are South African slaves who are betrayed by their own leaders and sold to European masters who shackle, starve and beat them into submission.
Once my people arrive in the New World, they are forced to work the fields and denied all human dignities.
Many of my people become sick and die; many more are beaten to death; and still more just die of despair and misery.
However, my people are a brave courageous nation who refuse to be suppressed into mindless obedience and they soon realize a united and fearless army of slaves is a formidable and invincible force to reckon with.
And so, my people show great spirit and fight against their authoritarian owners and prove to the world they can not be oppressed.
Because my people are a prideful indomitable tribe, who have an unwavering faith in themselves and an unshakable belief in their self-worth, they win their freedom and regain their humanity.
And for a short time in history, my people flourish; they become a nation like none other: an independent black sovereign republic.But alas, my people become greedy; they begin to feud; they begin to forget where they come from and all they have overcome.
So inevitably, my people succumb, as so many others throughout history, to tyrannical dictators.
However, my people do not totally forget their past, and over the decades some attempt to overthrow their cruel leaders.
Unfortunately for my people, the power hungry upper-class are not willing to relinquish control of their empire and more mayhem ensue.
Thus, years pass by and my people suffer, desolate and forgotten, in a world of ever-growing greed for supremacy and lacking in compassion for humankind.
Until one day God says enough, his children are dying; He unleashes his fury upon my people and make their world shake with such force that all must take notice.
Once again my people are remembered, sadly not for their triumphant feats but for their dreadful failures.
Now my people must swallow their pride to beg and plead, and accept the kind helping hand of once cruel brutal men in order to survive; indeed those same powerful men who attempted to conquer a race but were defeated by a tribe who refused to surrender their soul to such abominations.
How heartbreaking it is to see my people, long ago acclaimed and revered, be denigrated and pitied.
What an ironic twist history shows us, to find my people back where they started; shackled, starved and beaten, if not in true certainly in mind.
Too many suffered and died in order to give my people a chance at the golden circle of life and to repeatedly waste their gift on abject ignorance and indifference is surely a crime on all human race.
However, honorable, strong, vibrant and tenacious my people are, to survive such atrocities inflicted upon them.
Quite amazing my people are, to keep faith and hope alive in their heart, always joyful and giving despite the hard life they live.
Hence I implore you my people, learn from your past and become the nation you promised your ancestors you would be.
So I have trust in my people, to triumph and conquer; to shine bright and true; and to reclaim their place in the world as the Pearl of the Caribbean.
Because you see, my people are African Warriors; my people are Slave Rebels; my people are Haitians!
HAITI CHERIE
Can you overcome a past so horrifyingly oppressive as to infuse such fear in the hearts of your people, causing them to cower in the face of injustice when once, they rallied, convinced of their worth, to show the powers that be, evil shall not rule their world.
Can you rise again from the crumbling remains of a disintegrated society who blindly follow cruel leaders into heights of depravity, to then lament pitifully when atrocities rain upon the populace, to descend them further into depths of terror.
Can you triumph again to reclaim your eroding culture, who once showed tremendous promise, but was crushed into nothiness by a greedy society with no foresight to the future, and who now have abandonned you to a faith so bleek and dark it is doubtful even you can surmount it yet again.
Can you defeat your enemies even as they are one and the same as your citizens, to conquer the sinister forces working against your victorious return, though I fear for you as you must first overpower the defeatist attittude your children have shrouded themsleves in, as there is no adversary stronger then ones' self.
A Little Bit of Drabbling!
The poem My People itself in not so much about the earthquake but the impact it had on me and the way it affected my way of thinking, not only about Haiti, but about myself as a Haitian.
It is very difficult to realize that I am partly responsible for the dreadful situation in Haiti by simply not doing my part to support my country.
When I post a story or a poem, I try to give a full representation of the feelings that inspired me to write. That means sight, sound, smell, words, etc. I have not figured out how to put sound to the poems yet, but am diligently working on it. I can't do anything about smell (technology, I'm sure, will eventually get there and that in itself is a scary thought!).
The images are my way of expressing what I picture in my head as I am writing the poem; to give you, the reader, a little more insight on what I am trying to express so you may understand, perhaps a little better, what the words you are reading are really meant to say.
However, I do implore you to interpret what you are reading in a way that has meaning to you. It is true that I write to share my personal feelings with an audience, but I also want to inspire people to think; to maybe put a spin on a situation that will compel someone to, not necessarily change their minds, but to possibly explore other avenues, and be more accepting of others.
Or to simply open their eyes and hearts to a situation that they may not have been aware was happening; or to enlighten someone on a behavior they may not have known hurt other people.
Writing is just my way of screaming my frustrations; or shouting my joy and happiness; or yelling my anger; or waving my arms frantically trying to get attention on a subject dear to my heart.
So, as I sat in my office trying to explain why I wrote My People (and getting off topic in doing so), I inspired myself and here is the fruit of my brain’s incapability to stay focus: Not Enough!
Not Enough!
It is not enough to talk about the deplorable economic and social state of Haiti.
It is not enough to talk about Tonton Macoutes, Papa and Baby Doc, crooked elections and whether or not the involvement of the American government in Haiti’s state affairs is warranted or even constitutional.
It is not enough to talk about restoring democracy in Haity, freedom of speech and the right of the people to vote.
And it is not enough to constantly, eternally talk about plans, campaigns, tactics, strategies and policies for Haiti and yet at the end of it all, everything always stays the same, nothing ever changes.
It is not enough to be horrified by images of sick homeless Haitian children dying of hunger in the filthy, dirty streets of Port-au-Prince’s slums.
It is not enough to be outraged by the staggering number of HIV infected Haitians and AIDS related death in Haiti.
It is not enough to be shocked by the inhumane treatment the Haitian government, military and police inflict on their citizens.
And It is not enough to be dismayed by the ability humanity has of knowing people are suffering and dying yet be able to turn away from that knowledge and let a whole country crumble before our eyes.
It is not enough to ask the world to donate their time and money to help rebuild Haiti.
It is not enough to beg the humanitarian groups to send more aid to Haiti.
It is not enough to appeal to the global business community for help in strengthening Haiti’s almost non-existent commerce.
It is not enough to request the international trade organizations establish new import and export agreements to stabilize Haiti’s economy.
It is not enough to plead the Haitians abroad not sit back and wait while others take action in their stead.
And it is not enough to hope all Haitians at home not give up faith and keep fighting for a better Haiti.
It is not enough see humanity cry for Haiti for all the atrocities done to her.
It is not enough to see the world cry for Haiti for all the injustice her people had to tolerate.
It is not enough to see Haitians abroad cry for Haiti for all the suffering their people had to endure.
And it is not enough for us to cry for Haiti for all the times we did nothing while she valiantly tried to sustain her people.
It is not enough for me to now say I am proud to be Haitian just because I feel guilty that my whole life I was ashamed of where my family came from.
It is not enough for me to now say I am proud to be Haitian just because I feel guilty of feelings I could not help having because I just did not understand why Haiti could not be the paradise island I wanted her to be.
And it is not enough for me to cry for Haiti now that I accept who she is.
It is not enough because I am not doing enough for Haiti.
It is not enough because we are not doing enough for haiti.
It is not enough because you are not doing enough for Haiti.
It is not enough!
Composed by Carrine Lovelace
November 2010
