Culture

Emmaus and the World, a slam poetry by Patrick Guillain

Emmaus and the World, a slam poetry by Patrick Guillain

Patrick Guillain wrote and performed a slam for the 50th anniversary of the Emmaus Universal Manifesto on 24th May 2019 in Bern. In this text, he talks about the fundamentals and struggles of Emmaus and about the Universal Manifesto, which he chooses to contrast with the current world trends, particularly the market economy. Discover his text!

Emmaus and the World

While the ordinary world observes poverty behind criticism and commentaries
It burrows deep
But can’t keep quiet
With no will to act
Out of fear and false modesty
“Look, someone is dying!
Let’s do nothing in case we make a mistake!”
Out of the ordinary, Emmaus takes action
Emmaus is a manifesto
A manifestation of actions
Action on the ground
Fire, disaster, selfless acts
Build, repair, fund, welcome
Unequivocal demands without barter
Emmaus stalks the cold pavement
Poverty becomes its prey

Knowing how to benefit and profit
As luck can leave
An exceptional day, a personal and aggrieved day

For half a century Emmaus has meddled in the social fabric at the heart of humanity
a dehumanised humanity
For half a century sticking to a course which does not accept monopolisation
Greed, market values and the derivatives of a hungry world which debases itself
selfish
The world dictates: only me, cash!
Emmaus retorts: everyone and ethical conditions!

“Why provide a service?
Profits are what count”
The market absorbs
The market absorbs, consumes the exhausted resources consumes for
absurd wealth
Abuse, break, dump, cut
The market is hard, the market is distant
Emmaus is close and cares about its neighbour

For sure there’s technology, its progress, its prowess, its promises
But it advances on human fuel and abandons
The non-formatted, not well dressed, not zealous enough, “not exactly what we
thought”
It ignores weakness
The strong for the strong and if you break we’ll keep going
The world continues its crazy march abandoning its own crew in distress
This is the price for maintaining its speed
Which demands more every day
Which never ceases
Between armed wars and bombs of indifference
The planet engulfed in storm
Emmaus raises in awareness

Me
Do I have the right to only be me?
Here where we ask for a perfect princess with no debt, a skill, a yacht
And if you please: the buttocks of Claudette
Here where we demand a superman whose curriculum is inflated with helium in experiences where
the sum is worth at least three tons
And if you please: in a Channel suit
Emmaus says “unconditional welcome”

As society had forgotten the other
The other who is not himself
The other greasy, poor, miserable, marvellous
The other unique and alive
The other who doesn’t fit on a poster, a CV, a spot, a screen

Outside of this heavy, deaf empire and prepared for the worst
It relies on resistance which does not fool around with the future
Currents that drive out the dust, release, chase away poverty

Fifty years ago right here they engaged in combat
It carries their voices
More fraternal than the farce of the dollar
Stronger than its format
Fifty years later Emmaus has not diverted an inch or lost one ounce of its
meaning
A universal treaty, an oath
Cementing communities, friends and volunteers
One History, one Father
A bond which places man and the earth at its heart
Fifty years; happy anniversary!

© Guillain_2019