No one cared… | The Soul in the Sun

March 28, 2023 Like 0 Muriel Vieux

No one ever worried
That learning the horrors of our history
Might make us sad and uncomfortable
From the auctions to the lynchings
No one ever cared about that

No one ever worried
As they taught us everyday
That our constitution called us
¾ of a human being and savages too
No one ever cared about that

No one ever worried
About teaching us of the civil war
The deeds of the confederacy
To keep us shacked and enslaved
No one ever cared about that

What they worried about
The things that were hidden from us
We the accomplishments of our people
The inventors and the creators
Those they felt would be too much

We barely started learning
About our heroes and our heroines
People that we could look up too
A history we could be proud of
But that was another short lived dream

Cause now they’re worried
Worried about their children
Learning that Blacks had heroes too
That Blacks had great deeds too
They decided this simply won’t do

They said it makes them uncomfortable
To learn of America’s racists past
That their children might feel guilty
Of the things done by some of their ancestors
Well shouldn’t they?

Doesn’t everyone feel a little shame
Experiences a little guilt
For bad things committed by their own?
Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?
For history not to be repeated?

Aren’t we taught to learn from our mistakes?
Well? Aren’t we?

Author

Muriel Vieux

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My name is Muriel Vieux, I’m of American-Haitian descant, I am 56 years old with an 11 year old son. I was born in Queens New York where I spent my early years, but after my parents divorced my life was split between my two countries Haiti and the USA. It was not an easy life on many many levels. I am a writer, I’ve been writing since I was 13 but never started showing my texts until I was in my late 30’s. In my 40’s I published a French poetry book about Haiti called l’Ame au Soleil (A soul in the Sun). Most of my writings are about social, racial, political issues either in the US or in Haiti my two countries. I can not help myself to write, that is how I communicate, even if no one was reading I would still write every day. I had my one and only son at 44, after having been told since my first cycle that I would never have children. My miracle child. I currently reside in the Dominican Republic as I had to flee from Haiti due to the latest round of civil unrest which almost cost my son his life, he has severe asthma and we were locked in with no fuel during a bad attack, it was then I decided I had to leave Haiti for good. The US unfortunately proved to expensive and though I still dream of returning to my birth place, I must wait for that dream to come true. My life story is one of ups and downs like everyone else’s and unique as everyone’s too. But I have survived and in the end that is all we all can do.

https://murielvieux.com/