My grandmother is my keystone.

Not in the beer sense but in the building sense. If you go on wikipedia you’ll find that a keystone is the stone placed at the apex(center) of an arch. It is the final stone that is placed during construction of an arch and gives the arch its structural integrity. Before placing the keystone the arch cannot carry even its own weight, but after the keystone is placed the arch can carry weight in one of the most efficient manners possible. One of the most interesting aspects of a keystone is that after the arch has been put in place the keystone can sometimes be REMOVED without the structure itself collapsing.

Meliana was her name. She placed my roots in Haiti.

She was a seed dropped into barren soil who bore fruit. Her roots anchored the soil, her leaves fell to enrich the land, and then her fruits littered the ground. I grew in this soil, in the cool shade of her love. She protected me, nurtured me, and now with the end of her days I continue her legacy.

I am a Haitian-American living amongst a privileged few.

I stop now to consider the footfalls that led me to this place.

I stop now to consider the benefits that my education will provide me in the future.

I stop now to consider the foundations laid before me by generations and the foundations I must lay in their honor for generations future.

I stop now to study my roots and thus to learn about myself.

6 Response Comments

  • VyVyMay 3, 2010 at 12:21 am

    you are beautiful

  • HannahMay 3, 2010 at 6:12 pm

    granmè ou bèl.

  • cristina rMay 3, 2010 at 11:08 pm

    LOVE the picture (the street names in providence are quite a trip—power st, hope st), and relate to the message

  • meeshMay 4, 2010 at 9:54 am

    lovely work, words, and wisdom.

  • Samson BorgelinJune 23, 2011 at 11:11 am

    Jov,
    I am very proud of your hard work and the “fièreté” you demonstrate in your roots. I wish more like you will follow your example. I am also proud of your parents for planting the seed at an early age. You are an inspiration to your cousins and relatives, and all who know you in the family to say the least. Great job! As a father I can not start to imagine how happy you make your father. I see so much of him in you in so many ways. You have emulated and extended a lot of great values and principles he’s exhibited. I love the enthusiasm and the energy you have deployed.
    Your snapshots on Granma have stopped the moment from running away. Thanks for the memory.
    May God bless you and protect you and fulfill your dream.

    Uncle Samson

  • threeartistsJune 23, 2011 at 8:20 pm

    Means a lot for you to say all that Uncle Samson. Everyday I wake up and I wonder if I’m living up to what I’ve been given. Can’t wait to come down and kick it with you and the fam ssoon.