At first you are afraid...

“Hurricanes, earthquakes and drought, nothing spares us,” says a character in Anger, Madness: A Haitian Trilogy by Marie Vieux-Chauvet. The book has an introduction by Edwidge Danticat. I've found myself thinking of these two writers quite a bit over these past few days as I hear the tragic headlines from Haiti. Years ago I listened to Danticat read from her novel The Farming of Bones in a crowded downtown bookstore. I was there with a French speaking friend, Karen, who had spent quite a bit of time volunteering in Haiti. We were joined by a group of Karen's friends who had recently come to this country from Haiti as well.

Parts of The Farming of Bones are hard to read. The descriptions from the book combined with the press of the crowd made me feel like I was going to pass out. Yet after the reading it made my heart swell to watch the crowd greet Danticat and compliment her work. My friends were delighted to surprise her by speaking creole, something you don't expect to find here in the Pacific Northwest. I remember that evening how impressed I was by the depth and strength of the Haitian people I had met. It made me think of one central characters in the Bones, Annabelle, who says, "“At first you are afraid to step behind the waterfall as the water in all its strength pounds down on your shoulders. Still you tiptoe into the cave…” Though she is afraid, still she goes on even with the risk of death close by her side.

Photo of Edwidge Danticat found here