Haiti: Jean Wiener’s Work
Neptune, NJ
2023, Junior, Poetry & Spoken Word
Climate Hero: Jean Wiener, Foundation for the Protection of Marine Biodiversity
My home is dying.
The home where I have never been.
Haiti, its rich soil and history
The sweet scent of cassava and pain diri
The machann lari, smiling and laughing
Lowering prices of produce for the desperate
When they themselves don’t have enough to eat
My home is dying.
The once clear-blue lakes are becoming dark brown
Blending in with the dirt roads, paved by those searching for freedom
My home is dying.
And Jean Wiener is the hero who saved it
A marine biologist, he wanted to preserve
Our coasts, marine life, and resources, so
He created the Three Bays National Park
He saw what Haiti was going through as he grew up
Saw our beautiful waters changing color, and stepped up
Jean formed a team, and they created new reefs
Some of concrete, and others of shells
His efforts protected the food chain
And helped marine animals thrive
Revolts and politics have damaged our beautiful oceans
Turning them ugly with dumped charcoal
Staining them red with the blood of our brothers
And Jean Wiener stopped this
He replaced trees,
He helped start farms
He conducted major ocean cleanups
He children how important la mer was
He taught them about how it was their history, and they needed to preserve it
Haiti is no stranger to bloodshed, famine, and hunger
Haiti is no stranger to dark, murky waters
The Haiti you see on the TV is never what Jean Wiener worked for
You never see his reefs,
But you see the dumped bodies
You see the mud-turned lakes
The polluted coasts
He harvested seeds and handed them out to starving families
He taught them to plant them and gave them the gift of life
Not just being able to live it, but the ability to give it
Because of Wiener, our beaches are cleaner than they used to be
They are clearer, safer, and the marine life is thriving again
Haiti will rise one day, and its oceans will give more life than ever
Haiti will rise one day, and Jean Wiener will look down on us from Heaven, and finally smile
Reflection
Reflection
Haiti has been suffering for quite a while, and we deserve liberation. After the assassination of our president, Haiti has fallen into chaos, and this made me think of the efforts of Jean Wiener, whose strength hasn't gone to waste just yet. I am interested in the arts because I love creating things, and I want to represent my country in a way that I love and enjoy. Creating this poem made me happy and angry at the same time. I was happy because there was someone who really cared for Haiti, but I was angry because his efforts haven't been noticed for such a long time, and our oceans are going back to how they were before he stepped in. When someone reads my poem, I want them to see more than what the media portrays Haiti as. It's not pretty at all. Why don't they show our beautiful oceans instead? Why is it the bad things that they want people to see? The way people look at us is based off of those pictures on the media, and it isn't fair, because that's not who we are. We are so much more than our political problems, and our climate will get better, no matter what.