Zwarte Piet Poem by Freeyad Ibrahim

By Freeyad Ibrahim

I was afraid of the black man when I was a child
They portrayed them as monsters
From that moment I saw the Zwarte Piet,
I fell in love with them, good doers
Their skin is black but their hearts are white
I approached them for the first time in Holland
and confirmed that they were good people
Not monsters
Good people accompany Sinterklaas on his rounds
for donations and distributing gifts to children
They were good people, not gangsters
I loved them with all my heart
I loved Eid -Christmas- with them
After their disappearance, and accusations
of racial discrimination,
They themselves created a gap
between black and white
and further escalations!

I see now a white Saint with white Zwarte Piets
The picture has lost its luster
The picture was beautiful with the contrast
Black and White,
Like the TV-screen of the good old days
Simple, no Complications!

*

FRYAD HUGO
Writer
Netherlands