Ayiti, Ma Belle: poem by Roodly Laurore, art by the translator, Jerrice J. Baptiste

illustration by the translator, Jerrice J Baptiste

Ayiti, Ma Belle

(Ayiti is the original name for Haiti.)

We reimagine your beauty of long ago,

when hope is far from us like the sea.

Your fireflies don’t flash in dark cornfields.

Laughter disappears even with Krik-Krak.

Precious Joumou squash can’t be grown,

can’t be shared in backyards with pebbles.  

When hope escapes us, we reach for lullabies,

comforting bosom like white sand countryside.

Tin roofs of our dwellings await precious rain.

Our mouths await your passion fruit juice. 

(Krik-Krak is a Haitian storytelling tradition.)

____________________________

Roodly Laurore was born and raised in Haiti.

He is an engineer and poet. His poems,

widely published, can be found in:

The New Verse News, Spirit Fire Review,

Welter University of Baltimore, Taos Journal

of Poetry, Kosmos Journal, Autism Parenting Magazine, Solstice Literary Magazine, Synchronized Chaos, Jerry Jazz Musician,

and other journals. He is the father of two sons.

Jerrice J. Baptiste is an artist, poet, and author

of nine books. She has been published in:

The New Verse News, The Yale Review, Kosmos Journal, The Tulane Review, Eco Theo Review,

The Caribbean Writer, and many other journals. Jerrice enjoys playing the role of translator and illustrator. She teaches poetry where she lives,

in New York.

December 2025 issue