The first years of my childhood that I can remember were full of happiness and joy.
Playing with my brother and sister on the beach.
Helping my father gather the fruit and hunt for fish.
Yes sun,sea, sand and true happiness.
But then all of a sudden, this happiness was replaced by fear and terror as strange white people arrived in large craft on the beaches of our island Hispaniola.
At first they promised friendship but this quickly turned out to be a lie.
As they quickly brought slavery disease and misery to our lovely island.
My father was forced to mine for gold which the whitemen said that they had discovered.
They demanded a large amount each day.
Most of the natives could not meet these demands.
In reprisal for not meeting these work targets my father along with these other men had his hands chopped off and eyes pulled out.
Suffering from malnutrition and exhaustion he soon died.
Some men tried to run away from the white men but they could not escape their terror.
The Spaniards as they were called sent their wild dogs to track them down and rip them to bits.
Then one day in front of my eyes, one of the whitemen rapped my mother and slit her throat.
So both my beloved mother and father were gone.
Shortly after this it was my turn to die.
As I was chosen with another group of Indian children as food for the whitmens dog.
Trembling with fear. I watched as wild dogs rushed up to me and started to rip off my skin.
Mercifully however the ordeal was soon over and I was dead.
As were the whole islands one million other Indians within 30 years of the whitmens arrival.
Written July 1992. KO.
Afternote.
This poem was written to coincide with the 500th anniversary of the so called ‘discovery’ of the new world Americas by Christopher Columbus. Alas this led to mass genocide of the indigenous Indian population by the European invaders. I am publishing the poem now on my blog in solidarity with the indigenous Indian population of Bolivia who are bravely resisting the American backed fascist coup against the socialist government of former President Morales.
kevinclarion 