Author: Jacques Fleury
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Haiti: 8 Months Post-Quake
In the aftermath of one the biggest tragedies in Haiti—a country already known for persistent political unrest and economic depravity—the country still lacks the ability to meet basic human needs. Long after the media coverage of the January 12th earthquake has ceased and Haiti’s fifteen minutes of fame appears to have faded, one thing remains…
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The Purloined Heart III: Be Careful What You Wish For
Joey Defalco’s father had prepared the love portion for him to use on Clark Bent by the next weekend, as promised. The portion was in the same type of bottle genies come out of in fantasy movies. It was a blood colored liquid and the Houngan told Joey Defalco to put it in Clark Bent’s…
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The Dark Night of the Soul
Benny stares through his basement window and he can feel his heart rejoicing once again by the absence of the sun. Sunlight has become his worst enemy since his parents died, his wife left him and his only son was officially declared M.I.A. while fighting the war in Iraq. These days, he hardly leaves his…
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Fireflies On The Wind: On Leaving Haiti: The Final Flight
[img_assist|nid=211|title=|desc=|link=none|align=center|width=640|height=400] I was sitting on a porch at midnight. I’m not sure what I was waiting for. Maybe I was waiting for the night to talk. Maybe I was waiting for the night wind to give me a kiss on the head, pat me on the back and tell me that everything will be ok.…
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Gulp Fiction: Fireflies On the Wind: On Leaving Haiti Part III
[Excerpt from my book “Sparks in the Dark: A Lighter Shade of Blue, A Poetic Memoir”] As we moved into the early nineteen eighties, my stepfather’s mechanic business in Haiti began to crumble. Up until that point, we were always well provided for. The wife beater was undoubtedly a good provider. My mother did not…
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Fireflies on the Wind: On Leaving Haiti Part II
Jacques Fleury: The Haitian Firefly [Excerpt from my book Sparks in the Dark: A Lighter Shade of Blue, A Poetic Memoir] Imagine this jumpy scenario if you will. The house was full of activity. Five sisters, four big country husbands, four cousins, three stalwart maids and about four tenants with kids who rented parts of the house…
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Fireflies on the Wind: On Leaving Haiti
Jacques Fleury: The Haitian Firefly [Excerpt from my book Sparks in the Dark, A Lighter Shade of Blue, A Poetic Memoir] I was the first-born boy in my family and my appointed religion was Catholicism. With that came a lot of responsibility. And I’ll get into that shortly. Since I was the first-born boy, my…
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Local Community to Walk for Haiti
Jacques Fleury: The Haitian Firefly Spare Change News Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: “Life’s most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?” So let’s take a moment to remember the less fortunate and, instead of accumulating more “stuff” that we don’t really need, work to help our brothers and sisters in…
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Why We Still Need Black History Month
In an article by Mema Ayi and Demetrius Patterson from the Chicago Defender, the authors wrote “Actor Morgan Freeman created a small firestorm…when he told Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes that he finds Black History Month (BHM) ridiculous.” Freeman goes on to say that “Americans perpetrate racism by relegating Black history to just one month…