Refuge in the Haiti Hills

Poem by Maggie El-estwani, RN:


Early morning solitude in the hills -
earth browns, ochre reds, limestone white
and dotted with dusty shrub and grasses.

Cradling coffee mugs and
sitting in companionable silence and low voices at breakfast.
Some in prayer and meditative reading.

The bright sun rises over the hills.
The wind blows mimosa branches briskly
in the stone courtyard.

Through the quarter-open gate,
wilderness and a glimpse of the city and sea,
and our EMS ride Haiti One.

And I remember why we've come,
this Lent to join a mission of hope
to Haiti after the quake.

Intertwined white and fuchsia bougainvillea
are splayed over the simple wrought iron fence,
backdrop to aid worker tents.

Later in the morning the children will fly kites
and mount wild ponies
to scramble on the rocky paths;
And at the ward and clinic,
the women will break into song.

The hills join in chorus -
gather your strength, your inner joy and deep faith.
Morning breaks again.

-Tintayen, Haiti
March 2010