POEMA DE LA LIBERTAD                                                   

Note: English translation follows

by Sandra Santana

Dedicado a Ana Belén Montes y Nina Droz*

 

El golpeteo decidido en los cristales

Invade la duermevela

Llueve

Las almas caminan de prisa

Como si huyeran

Van sorteando el mal tiempo

Entrampadas por el aguacero

Aprietan el paso

Examinan la vía, evaden riesgos

Llueve

Se vacían las calles

Se clausuran las moradas

En las calles solitarias por el encierro colectivo

La voluntad, vacilante y confusa, tropieza y cae

Preguntas, cual goteras, salpican y muerden

¿Dónde se escampa del letargo que nos empapa

Mientras crece la injusticia

Y la muerte es consigna de las naciones?

¿Dónde hallar consuelo

Cuando la patria nos duele

Y la indiferencia se esparce como un aguacero

Sobre una masa indiferente?

¿Cómo romper la inercia que nos ahoga

Mientras el gobierno insulta y destruye al pueblo?

¿Cómo sacudirse la desesperanza

Cuando todo lo que creímos verdadero se viene abajo

Y un sentimiento de impotencia, como río crecido

Se nos desborda

Cuando salir huyendo nos pasa por la mente

Porque nos sentimos indefensos frente a tanta inclemencia?

¿Cómo combatir la oscuridad que sobre todos se cierne?

Llueve

El tiempo se requeda entre las gotas

El sopor, sorprendido, se agita

La libertad, estoica, observa desde su trinchera.

 

POEM OF FREEDOM

The staccato spatter on the windows

Invades my sleep

It’s raining

Souls walk in a hurry

As if they were fleeing,

avoiding the bad weather.

Entrapped by the downpour

They hasten their pace.

They examine the road, evade risks

It’s raining

The streets are emptied,

The dwellings are closed in the lonely streets

by a collective shutdown.

The force of will, hesitant and confused, stumbles and falls

Questions, like leaks, splash and bite:

Where is the escape from the lethargy that soaks us

As injustice grows

And death is the slogan of the nations?

Where to find comfort

When the country is in pain

And indifference spreads like a downpour

On an indifferent mass?

How to break the inertia that chokes us

While the government insults and destroys the people?

How to shake off hopelessness

When everything we believed to be true tumbles

And a feeling of impotence, like a cresting river,

Overflows us?

While we are fleeing, it courses through our minds

Why do we feel defenseless in the face of such a storm?

How to fight the darkness that hovers over all?

It’s raining

Time stands still between the drops

Lassitude, surprised, shakes itself awake

Freedom, stoic, observes from the trenches.

 

*Two Puerto Rican women political prisoners

(translation by Michael Novick)

Sandra Santana is the president of the PEN Club de Puerto Rico Internacional. She is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico with a BA and MA. She supports Pueblo Unido, opposing the sale and privatization of public services in Puerto Rico. She is a writer, trade unionist and accountant. Change Links obtained the poem in a mailing from Pro-Libertad supporting a rally for freedom for Puerto Rican political prisoners. We unfortunately neglected at the time to get contact information for the author. However, she recently discovered her poem and our translation and wrote to us. She said “Saludos.
Me entero por casualidad que mi “Poema de la libertad” fue traducido al inglés en este espacio en internet hace 4 años. Ha sido una sorpresa que hubiera sido aún más grata si me hubieran contactado antes. De hecho, me gustaría saludar al traductor para agradecer su tiempo y gentileza al escoger mi poema para traducirlo. Para futuras ocasiones estoy a la orden. Ya tienen mi correo electrónico. Muchas gracias por su atención. Quedo atenta a su respuesta.” Greetings.
I found out by chance that my “Freedom Poem” was translated into English on this internet space 4 years ago. It has been a surprise that would have been even more pleasant if they had contacted me before. In fact, I would like to salute the translator to thank him for his time and kindness in choosing my poem for translation. For future occasions I am at your disposal. You now have my email. Thank you very much for your attention. I remain attentive to your answer.

Our apologies to the author, Sandra Santana, for not having made the effort to contact her and obtain approval and permission for the publication and the translation.

 

 

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