Ayiti my beloved island
My love, my life
There was a time when candor
Ran out of breath
In your peaceful and colorful streets

Time seemed to stop
Contemplative of the cheerfulness
Of your carefree and happy children
Heartily laughing
Living together above all

Life nestled
Into their hearts
Wallowing in their berth
Happiness was at hand

Radio was educating
Television was teaching
Community life
Long before the almighty consumerism
Long before the holy globalization
From those little men
Abhorrent the human being

World leaders
Gave us their apple
Their grand civilization
and its unbrindled taste for luxury
For lust
Its carelessness of life

Then all fell apart
Heaven changed
And my beloved island turned into hell

Since
we are killing each other
for some pennies
Under pityful looks
Of terrified passer-by
And authorities in their deprivation
Fully avoiding
Their responsibility

Every day brings
Its share of grief
Planned kidnappings
From the top
By concerned authorities
Eager to stay in power
Without being able to help in any way
Their desperate fellow citizens
Rotten state
Permanent state of political drunkenness
Lilliputians suffering from giantism
My formerly blessed island
Will drink to the dregs
The cup of illiteracy
And tactical infantilism
From deeply rooted elites
in grand corruption practices

Every day
Fathers
Young ladies
Churchmen
Are dying as flies
By gunshots
At close range
By unfaithful and unlawful men
Executioners and victims at a times
Unconsciously stupid
Proud of their crimes
Careless for their future
Shining like a sunset
Reflecting in a rough sea


Haitians tirelessly continue
Their descent into hell
Oh ! Hell !
Do you have an end ?
Airplanes land
Full of starving passengers
Airplanes take off
Full of people
Yealing as children
Happy to leave
The raft of Medusa
Their supposedly home
For somewhere else
Leading nowhere
But always leading them
Far away from themselves

Here dreams just vanish
Fleeing under full sail
Looking straight ahead
Expecting reaching the shores
Of a better life

Ayiti, plague country
Ayiti, incurable disease
Ayiti is synonymous with fleeing
Ayiti, dead end room
Ayiti is trapped
Ayiti is hoisted by its own petard
Ayiti is no more a country
Ayiti ! Where are you ?
Ayiti, dying republic
Ayiti, travelling cemetery
Ayiti, wake up or die !
Ayiti, I will die for ever
In your arms
Instead of dying away from you


Translated into English by Mackendy Jeunay