Four poems, read in Spanish and English, from “Passport to Cuba,” a special section of the March/April 2015 issue of Orion.
Read an excerpt from “Passport to Cuba,” here; subscribe to Orion to read the special section in its entirety. Our thanks go to the Christopher Reynolds Foundation for its generous support of this project.
Comments
Here’s a poem I read as part of a talk I gave in Havana in 2014:
THE UNREPENTANT BATHER (90 MILES OUT)
My love swims alone
in an ocean of sharks
circling to starboard
circling to bow
waiting their moment
off guard, stroke falters
gnashing their teeth
flexing their jaws
wearing the defenses down
Swim for your life, sweetheart,
Swim for your life!
Don’t give up an inch,
Don’t fall for the trap!
The sharks are all circling
‘Round History’s bones
You swim there alone
Under attack
My love swims alone
paradoxically dreams
of lush old-growth forests
& crystalline streams
but industry dangles
“development’s” lures
gnashing their teeth
flexing their jaws
baiting the bloodlash
of “Progress”
Swim for your life, sweetheart,
Swim for your life!
Don’t give up an inch,
Don’t fall for the trap!
The sharks are all circling
‘Round History’s bones
You swim there alone
Under attack
swim faster
keep swimming
keep swimming
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