We are more than we know.
The presentation of my memoir, Unseen Worlds, at the Miami Book Fair was scheduled for Sunday November 18th—the Sabbath day of the Lord and the celebrated date of the Haitian Battle of Vertières. My father would always sing on that day, a song of freedom. He had good cause. This was the last major battle of the second war of Haitian independence, and the final part of the Haitian revolution under Jean-Jacques Dessalines. It was fought in 1803 between forces made up mainly of legally liberated slaves, and Napoleon’s French expeditionary forces, openly committed to re-enslave these people and regain control of the island.
I took it as a mysterious gift from heaven when I received the invitation to present my new memoir at the Miami Book Fair. I also sensed that my ancestors were involved in this largesse. I was presented with a novel chance to be an active part of the wider world.
Oh… the charm and caress of Caribbean people!
I was cheered on that first shuttle ride from the hotel to the fair grounds.
The veil of invisibility lifted.
The hovering northern chill dissipated.
Frostbites mended.
Home is where you are loved. It gives a glow.
Writers are people who use words to tell the truth.
It leaves a scent.
We wear it knowingly.
It seems that all of life has been lived.
Even the young feel that way.
I tried to tell what it all had meant.
Please look for my memoir UNSEEN WORLDS on Amazon. Out now!
A video of my reading at the Miami Book Fair is available here: