I've been having a funeral of words in my throat, unable to verbalize the ironic agony that has been piercing my soul. On one hand, God has given me the ability and resources to release my fifth book, The Haitian Creole Alphabets, to help preserve my rich culture; on the other hand, there are a number of natives in my homeland who seem to be working to obliterate its existence. I'm having to constantly whisper to my heart not to lose hope because the greatest little island in the world will find a way to amplify its voice like it did in 1803. I strongly believe divine intervention from God is the only answer for this disaster. In the mean time, I'll continue to hope, pray, and help in any way I can to help my people turn to Christ and rebuild like never before. I leave with you with the poem I wrote about my beloved Haiti:
DYING TO SURVIVE
Dying to survive in a country
Notoriously known for managing misery
she’s living but internally attending her own funeral
This torture makes child birth feel like child’s play
Rest avèk is today’s slavery in hi-tech
Family members cracking whips of ignorance
In the minds of their own relatives
Identity crisis,
Let’s pledge allegiance to humanity
Instead of nationality
reject rebellion and embrace second Corinthians’ ministry of reconciliation
We were born to live great like God’s grace
That’s not dependent on the poverty of our faith
M anwe sitèlman m rele amwe
This seems to be relative only
To those who are directly connected to this reality Kidnappings to political instability
Where’s the unity in this rotten immorality
This is not a passive call for feeling sorry
Because that wind of desire has never helped anybody
Sacrifice is never convenient and comes at a high price
Ask Christ who gave up His life for you to live
Haiti is a fallen star without the sun on the inside
To help her shine and become light of the world
She wouldn’t be dying to survive
If her own kind would love her
With Calvary’s unconditional love
The mother of our land has become ravaged beauty
She needs your helping hand in this excruciating pain
Will these words fade away from your conscience
The minute they’re heard?
Will you be another child who watches his mother die to survive
Or you will you get out of your comfort zone and respond? She’s dying.
© Copyright Berwick Augustin
Berwick Augustin is a published author, poet, and educator. He offers self-paced online courses that teach the basic elements of writing and the structure of opinion, informative, and argumentative essays. He is also an educator, spoken word poet, author, and consultant at Evoke180 publishing.