In the peak summer season, on a bright blue morning,
I saw 2 worlds as I travelled to my calling.
I saw a man sitting dehydrated in front of the sparkling blue lake,
And a man defecating right beside the cow dung cake.

I saw an ambulance sitting idly by,
And a son driving his sick father, unable to let out a cry.
I saw a girl with her head out the sunroof, enjoying the cool summer breeze,
And a little kid trying to hold down his kaccha house, down on the ground scraping his knees.

I saw a woman tending to the roadside hedge,
And another throwing an empty bottle at its edge.
I saw a bungalow’s water tank leaking,
And a man straining gutter water that was positively reeking.

I saw 2 worlds,
One with a necklace of stones and one made of pearls.
Under that same bright blue sky,
I saw 2 worlds - one that waited to be buried and one that longed to fly.

Poor people of our countries
Poor people everywhere
Poor people of Haiti
People who are poor, disoriented, and crazy
I will no longer say ‘poor Haiti’
Haiti is a country full of wealth
Haiti, a country full of resources
For others
Haiti is a paradise and rich in resources
For others
Haiti is a country full of hypocrisy
Of destitute, miserable and suffering peoples
Haiti is a place full of hatred and backstabbers
Haiti, Haiti! What a disgrace! Where its leaders are dumb, evil, and crazy
Haitian youth and young people are very unlucky
Because the false and fake leaders are greedy, ugly and senseless
What a shame for a people who have often suffered so much
The Cemeteries are everywhere, so are the Churches and the Calvaries
There is so much misery there because the thieves, the crooks
Hypocrites, henchmen, bandits, madmen, and scoundrels are everywhere
This is the country where too many innocent people die by bullets, by iron
By hatred, by hypocrisy, by revenge, by ignorance and by poverty
Which saint should we invoke for these hopeless people
For our brothers and sisters without a future who are dying of despair?
What deaf and drunken God should we pray to save the followers of Christ
Who lament, who weep, who scream, and who bark like dogs?
What word should we use to strengthen and energize these weakened people
And the state which unfortunately exists to punish the impoverished victims?
Poor people here where we are
Poor people of our countries
Poor people everywhere
Poor people of Haiti
Poor people of these United States.

P.S. Translation of ‘ Pauvre Peuple De Chez Nous, De Nos Pays’.

Copyright © April 2025, Hébert Logerie, All rights reserved
Hébert Logerie is the author of several collections of poetry.

my dear,
did you happen to know,
the mountains don't stare at the trees,
only the birds do so,
the oceans do not wait for rivers to flow,
before making waves out of ways the wind blows.