Lakay translates to “home” in Haitian Creole.
In honor of Haiti making it to the World Cup.
I do not mean to scare you,
but there’s winter in my bones.
I told them if you’re going to leave again,
close my door,
shut my eyes and cover them with blankets,
because those cold winds can kill,
and they always leave me with an eerie chill.
I am not as strong as I was before.
You can hear my floors groan
and see the signs of brokenness,
but do not get me wrong
there is beauty behind these endless walls.
The ice along my lashes helps reflect back all the light,
though I’ve forgotten what warmth feels like.
I could only remember if you bring me back to life.
I can be good to you if you let me.
I can be the place in which you live and not reside.
I can help you build memories that will last you a lifetime.
I know you are far from the place you love, you long to return and bathe in it’s sun
I can be what holds you up, until the day your journey is done
Let me carry the stories you tell
So fill me up with laughter, cries, and yelling.
Fill me up with the sweet, mouth-watering smell of dishes from your island:
griot, legim, and pate kòde
Celebrate your holidays with me,
and get merry while you drink kremas.
And do not waste your worry
on all the blizzards and storms,
for together we can create an internal flame
to keep us safe and warm.
So though I may be broken now,
through the surgical procedure of paintbrushes, hammers, and nails,
I can become what I’ve always dreamed of being:
more than bricks and stones,
but a place you can call home
– Christina S.