White Man In Haiti

[Yesayah]

White Man in Haiti (5.23.03)

Last night I dreamt another dream
And I was the female protagonist
Walking in a middle class-town in Petion-Ville
Where I met a white man-perhaps an outcast.
And he confidently approached me
And with a friendly smile,
He echoed something to me
In a language that was very familiar:

Excuse me miss...can you help me!
And so, I remained standing―dumbfounded.
I stood uncomfortably before him
Like a well positioned light accusing night
And with uncertainty,
I waited to see
What the white man needed from me
Besides, what is a real white man
Doing outside on the streets of Haiti after midnight?
Was he a member of our secret society?
Oh! I waited suspiciously.

Then suddenly,
I saw the white man beginning to change before my eyes
He transformed. He shifted from being a person
To being a dog ― a frog ―
A young girl in a wedding robe
He became a boat―next to a rolling barrel
But by then, I became empty
Empty like the dark space behind me
I ran until the night ends