PORT-AU-PRINCE

PORT-AU-PRINCE

"Land of my mother's mother's mother. 

Under the grace of the sun I sat behind my infant sister, watching her little hands touch. 

The land where my grandmother's mother birthed 9 - and buried 6. 

Where the soil is rich, and so is our skin. 

The place where I received my very first compliment. "une belle noire" - the streets where my father stopped to hold my hand as we made our way across the street. 

Port-au-Prince..land of sweet, sweet fruit, fragrant ceremonies, and bitter fights. 

You have given me so much, Port-au-Prince. I love you, and shall always return to you. 

My dearest Port-au-Prince, the air of my very first breath still lingers in you. 

Port-au-Prince, 

I. Love. You.

Art is vivid, streets are crowded, markets are loud. 

You tickle every sense I have. 

One day I was a girl in a red and white uniform. 

Today I am becoming a woman in black. 

All these years, I did not realize it was you that I was mourning. 

Port-au-Prince, your essence lingers in me."

Love, 

Your Eldest Daughter.

- vetiveroil