Below are two poems by Jules "Elise" Damas, one of the key young men in the Haitian youth group. Elise is the Haitian version of the biblical name, Elisha. He aspires to be a poet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher. These are poems he wrote in English, and he has other more complex ones in Creole and French. He hopes to publish a book one day. I edited the grammar a little bit.
"American People"
Your hair may be white
Your eyes may be blue or gray
Your (skin) may be red or white
Your hair may be long or short
You may be tall or short
But we would all like to have hair like yours
But we would like to look at your eyes to be happy
But we like you very much like that
But we would like you to be near us all the time
But you're really magnificent
The difference find inside of your heart
You're all and always attractive
You like to talk and share some ideas
With people you don't even know
You make the life better when you're there
We would like to have the hearts like yours.
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| Emanuel & Elise (on the right) at their High School |
"Untitled"
A smile is a diamond. A smile is a miracle, because not everyone can smile. This world is a mystery. We can not understand everything. We know a few things. (There is) just one person who can help us to understand this world, but we can't see him. I like to see everyone smile. You need to smile even though you are suffering. Life is beautiful...it will be more beautiful in Heaven. I hope you will be happy to pass this week with us (talking to a team visiting Haiti). Thank you for this time. You're very nice. I hope to see you next time. Everyone on your team is very gentle. You need to be an optimist, because living without optimism is not a good life.
From the young poet Elisha.
That is wonderful!
That is beautiful!
To write poems about everything good.
BonDye beni ou! (God Bless You)
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| Elise comes from a big family and loves to teach children about God. |
There is a great photo on Fritz's blog that captures Elise's character. You can find it by clicking on this link and scrolling down:
http://fritzphoto.com/blog/category/travel-photography/haiti
-The Grimms
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