Santa Claus Was Afraid to Pass Through Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Papa Noël was afraid to pass through on Christmas Day In the streets of Port-au-Prince. Bullets were being fired in droves Sporadically, haphazardly. Many people were hiding under beds Naughty terrorists are like dogs, hyenas in vile forests or deadly wilderness They are everywhere with big machine guns which are not made in Haiti The lawless bandits or God-awful devils are killing and terrorizing everyone Even old cats and dirty rats that are running in the ravines Things are very serious, extremely dangerous and awfully bad in Haiti This year, Uncle Noël was scared, very afraid that's why he failed to visit And to pass through the tiny streets of Haiti. Nobody knows when These ugly and unusual things, chaos, crimes, nightmare will change or end There were no holy midnight masses; all the church doors were shut, closed The bandits who wear filthy sandals carry very expensive and modern weapons That their western uncles and dirty oligarchs gave them as Christmas gifts So that they can drive more innocent civilians deeper into the fires of Hell It is very fascinating to notice that the werewolves, the infamous Loups Garous Were also afraid to go to the cemeteries to unearth their innocent victims In Haiti, formerly Pearl of the West Indies, It's dogs eating dogs It's cats eating cats. It's dogs eating rats People are stuck in this once paradise, Pearl of the Antilles Which is presently Hell on Earth and bloody dungeons for so many It's cats eating rats. It's dogs eating rats and cats This is a despicable madness. Frankenstein would have been happy there People have never experienced such ugly mess before. When will this change When will this end? When will the oligarchic, western and greedy settlers Leave the peaceful and resilient people of Haiti alone? And when, when When will the brave people revolt? When, damn it, will the Diaspora Unite to fight and defend Haiti? Haitians are tired of losing lives, money Territories and properties in Haiti. When will all these unruly terrorists Disappear, vanish on the face of the Universe. I'm shouting angrily You, damn it, I'm talking to you. I'm freaking talking to you I'm goddamn talking to you, yes, yes, yes to you, violent criminals Cockroaches, ungodly birds, wicked hypocrites and ignorant fools Stop talking about revolution. Use common sense. Stop dreaming Open your eyes. Yes, for in the name of Yahweh, I'm talking to you too Santa Claus, Père Noël, Tonton Nowèl was afraid. No poor and little people Received no gifts, nothing, zero, nitch, only the greedy perpetrators Who kill and terrorize the citizens, were celebrating. The weak Police, the feeble Army and the helpless UN vacationers can't do more; they can simply do less We know that Haiti is not Ukraine, yet Haiti needs help. Haitians are desperate The nefarious CPT presidents make big moollah, big dough, big gourds, big bucks And big money, the infamous ones who are in power, receive a lot of money These traitors are defending their pockets, not the homeland They won't protect the innocent people, they won't defend Haiti The bandits, terrorists, hypocrites and greedy oligarchs are in command Criminal groups are scattered ubiquitously in the corridors, all over, everywhere Little Jesus didn't go to Haiti, he was scared too. Santa Claus didn't come He was scared naturally. Let's think, think deep, resist and dream until spring. P.S. This poem is dedicated to all who are suffering in Haiti. The Haitian people and the Diaspora are tired of being humiliated. Down with misery, Insecurity, corruption, crime, injustice, impunity, discrimination, and inequality. This is a translation of ‘Pè Nowèl Te Pè Pase Nan Pòtoprens, Ayiti’. Copyright © December 2024, Hébert Logerie, All rights reserved Hébert Logerie is the author of several collections of poems.