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Today I had the honor of playing with the New Magnolia Jazz Band at the funeral for Madam Laguerre, a member of the local Haitian community.

I knew really little about the Haitian Creole in which the lion's share of the service was conducted... looking up the Wikipedia page, they cited some proverbs I liked:

"Apre bal, tanbou lou"
"After the dance, the drum is heavy"
i.e. There are consequences to your actions

"Dan konn mode lang"
"Teeth are known to bite the tongue"
i.e. People who work together sometimes hurt each other

"Ravèt pa janm gen rezon devan poul"
"A cockroach in front of a chicken is never correct"
i.e. Justice will always be on the side of the stronger

"Si ou bwè dlo nan vè, respèkte vè a"
"If you drink water from a glass, respect the glass"

"Tout moun se moun"
"Everybody is a person"
i.e. Everyone matters

"Bouch granmoun santi, sak ladan l se rezon"
"The mouth of the old stinks but what's inside is wisdom"

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