H.E. Mantel

HAITICAPERS

Drawing by Terrianne U. SwiftRandall knows about
The Island, sure & quickly
as Jack Robinson
from here to St. Kitts, It’s not
juste any mystery, none

for them who know, n’est-ce
pas? fault? what fault? abide the
subterranean
line, b’tween blue water-black holes
another JC-Betraynd

the truths held & sel-
dom told, ‘bout the Prince-au-Port
demons’ Haitiwork
& The Book Of Agenda
as right-eous as Robertson

hard rain, unswell ground-
swell came to a’ready swollen
bellies & near to
eliminated int’rest
‘cept… right-as-wrong as the song

not awant to play
that way… a temp folks’
song, je ne sais quoi…
& so, another atoll
demolished, abolition

abolished, gone with
the tolling place, a soundless
idea Haiticare
soilbeans & septicola
in rank pandemonium!

7.0’s not
neutral, base acidicism
rightspin prediction
not ambi-valent nor a
re-tort, schemoviscery, a

boulder new kindless
cataclysm for the Zoe
herethere, everwhere
can/do you hear us, you are listening?
chacun a son gout, oui, well,

not anthropophage,
yet… but the lore made lawless
“How many roads must…?”
asked Taino Kiskeya
came the reply, Ayiti

One who hates his own
when Arawak mountainous land
once… now percussive
repercussed deep & dark, name-
less, blame to a faultly fault?