I want to talk about Haiti.
How the earth had to break
the island’s spine to wake
the world up to her screaming.
How this post-earthquake crisis
is not natural
or supernatural.
I want to talk about disasters.
How men make them
with embargoes, exploitation,
stigma, sabotage, scalding
debt & cold shoulders.
Talk centuries
of political corruption
so commonplace
it’s lukewarm, tap.
Talk January 1, 1804
& how it shed Life.
Talk 1937
& how it bled Death.
Talk 1964. 1986. 1991. 2004. 2008.
How history is the word
that makes today
uneven, possible.
Talk New Orleans,
Palestine, Sri Lanka,
the Bronx & other points
of connection.
Talk resilience & miracles.
How Haitian elders sing in time
to their grumbling bellies
& stubborn hearts.