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Haitian American Poetry
By Sherely Luc and Vanessa Ramier
Listen
to the Poems!
Web Exclusive: Here’s more music from the girls choir in Mr. Ivanovic’s music class at the Toussaint L’Ouverture School for the Arts and Social Justice in Delray Beach, Florida. Listen to the entire song from the piece that aired on KPFA and another traditional song from the Haitian girls choir.
An American poetry therapist and a retired Haitian American US army major in Delray Beach Florida founded a public high school 4 years ago with the idea of better serving and integrating the growing Haitian community in their small city. The students come from various backgrounds, but 65% of the student body has recently arrived from Haiti. These students learn in their native Kreole language and in English. The students have been writing poetry to master the English language in order to talk about problems, about home and about their hopes and dreams. You’ll hear poems by Sherely Luc and Vanessa Ramier and a church choral from the girl’s choir.
(Choral Music)
Oh my dear flag.
Your color shines more than the moon in the sky.
You are beautiful like rainbow in the sky.
You are not something that we can buy.
And then when you float you are not shy.
You’re dense like trees in the time of earthquake.
Your shape is nice like the shape of a rectangular cake.
When you shake you never take a break and you never have backache.
Your color is not orange but you are sweet like an orange.
Your words are never changed. Each time you talk you always say that everything will arrange.
(Choral Music)
Love.
Love seems so sweet.
When we start to know it, when you are in love, everything is so beautiful.
Love is a sweet dream.
You are feel like in the clouds. In love.
Give love is giving all of you.
When you are in love you feel like a queen.
You are saying to yourself you are warm, you have worked for a long time and finally you have found the deepest gold of whole hearts.
Love.
We can say love is like a poisonous snake.
When you know how to manipulate the animal, you sleep calm.
But be careful.
It can be betrayed when you sleep too much.
(Choral Music…)
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