Marie Lily Cerat
- Poetry
- Sep 7, 2023
- 1 min read
Poetry / Gender Based Violence (GBV)
These five (5) pieces by Marie Lily Cerat were created at various times. They address issues of “racial justice”, “human rights”, and “gender-based violence and discrimination”. In sum, the pieces holler about how heavy it is to be black and immigrant in America. The Haitian Creole piece is most recent and done in memoriam of the departed in the Haitian community in New York in the time of the Corona virus.
Collection of 5 Original Pieces
"If I Could One Day Meet the Sun:
If I could one day meet the sun I’d lay at its feet all the world’s bad blood and heartache And we’d no longer need to run
Nor would we need to hide from the gun There’d be no pain, sorrow and ache if I could one day meet the sun
We’d hear the gay tam-tam of the dun dun We’d all in the victory-dance partake, And we’d no longer need to run
We’d sing songs of freedom that are homespun
And filled with passions. For our own sake!
If I could one day meet the sun
I’d lay love and liberty in the shade of that palmetto’s frond Set a red hibiscus wreath on the shore to subdue the earth’s quake And we’d no longer need to run
Moonlight would crown our daughters and sons
Nothing and no one would ever be at stake
If I could one day meet the sun
And we’d no longer need to run.
"Please Show Me the Way"
"Reflect From the Texan Sun"
"Crystal Clear"
"Lapriye Gede" was originally written in Haitian Creole. The English translation is simply to provide access to readers
Marie Lily Cerat is a co-founder of the Brooklyn-based organization Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees, (HWHR) created in 1992 to respond to the needs of Haitians fleeing persecution. Cerat continues to serve on the HWHR Advisory Board and facilitate an ongoing support group for survivors of domestic/intimate partner violence like herself.
