Standing in a fishbowl <br />Armed forces used control <br />Rummaged our suitcases – and stole <br />Religious statue stomped and crushed <br />Bracelets, watches and rings, too <br />Cheekbones flushed with red hue <br />Standing powerless with no clue <br />Puzzled eyes filled with soreness <br /> <br />Could not keep the tears away <br />Motherland; we cannot stay <br />Their hearts are made of clay <br />Heartless souls without a conscious <br />Pushed us out to the unknown <br />With no food and with no throne <br />Only wretchedness and woe to moan <br />Sadly humming with discomfort <br /> <br />I left my great-aunts weeping <br />Soldiers with rifles creeping <br />Only hope and faith keeping <br />To follow the unknown <br />Boarded a Pan Am airplane <br />My parents could not explain <br />The heartache, sorrow, misery, and pain <br />With deep profound dark shadows <br /> <br />We left Cuba to reach freedom <br />Reaching exile with just wisdom <br />Bearing in mind palm trees at random <br />Glared the brightness from the sunshine <br />As we were led to our new home <br />There was no place to roam <br />Through spiny leaves and Sea Holm <br />Just rest – rest from the daunting journey <br /> <br />Through the melancholy and gloom <br />Different language from the womb <br />Six people lived in an abode amid one room <br />Not knowing what stood ahead <br />From being rich and now so poor <br />Only God knew what was ahead for sure <br />For us to speculate – was premature <br />Endless days and stormy nights ahead <br /> <br />Nevertheless, we had love, and health <br />This meant more than any wealth <br />No longer living amongst minds stricken by filth <br />Modest was the hummingbird <br />That sang so sweet each morning <br />Living in freedom – no more warning <br />Celebrating life, not in mourning <br />In a great country that embraced us all<br /><br />Ana Monnar<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/farewell-to-cuba/
