T.+Taste+of+Salt+Poetry

Democracy -[|Langston Hughes] Democracy will not come Today, this year Nor ever Through compromise and fear. I have as much right As the other fellow has To stand On my two feet And own the land. I tire so of hearing people say, Let things take their course. Tomorrow is another day. I do not need my freedom when I'm dead. I cannot live on tomorrow's bread. Freedom Is a strong seed Planted In a great need. I live here, too. I want freedom Just as you. [|Kalam ya Salaam] this is Haiti, a state slaves snatched from surprised masters, its high lands, home of this world's sole successful slave revolt. Haiti, where freedom has flowered and flown fascinating like long necked flamingoes gracefully feeding on snails in small pinkish sunset colored sequestered ponds. despite the meanness and meagerness of life eked out of eroding soil and from exploited urban toil, there is still so much beauty here in this land where the sea sings roaring a shore and fecund fertile hills lull and roll quasi human in form there is beauty here in the unyielding way our people, colored charcoal, and banana beige, and shifting subtle shades of ripe mango, or strongly brown-black, sweet as the such from sun scorched staffs of sugar cane, have decided we shall survive we will live on a peasant pauses clear black eyes searching far out over the horizon the hoe motionless, suspended in the midst of all this shit and suffering forced to bend low still we stop and stand and dream and believe we shall be released we shall be released for what slaves have done slaves can do and that begets the beauty slaves can do
 * Tomorrow's Toussaints **

[|Kalam ya Salaam] sluggish, semi-stagnant the water in Haitian gutters, small gullets, trickles green, sewerage green, here even the dirt is poor and there is a cloying dullness camouflaging even strongly persistent colors in squared, white walled cemeteries funeral flowers are made of painted iron/ i see no roses rising through this Port Au Prince poverty i hesitate to take pictures it is like thievery almost like i am stealing precious light that these, my brothers and sister, need to live
 * Iron Flowers **