I want to learn how to speak Spanish. Help me please!!!

[yautiawoman2]

[quote]Originally posted by yautiawoman2
[b]

Originally posted by torr59
Point well taken.

Now lets make categories of culture to explain how I mean culture, for your edification, beyond formal culture.

1. FORMAL CULTURE

Unfortunately formal is where most people start and where most people stay. Formal is what I call museum culture. It is the culture you can teach in a classroom. It is the culture you can see, hear and touch in a museum. When a culture dies, or is dying, people want to see it in a museum. You know, this is how the people lived, this is a bohio, this is their music, here are their bateys, these are their symbols, their clothing, their arts and crafts.

2. DEEP CULTURE
Now when a culture is alive and well it can borrow from many other cultures but there is a core essence, there is the deep culture that only comes from the day to day living with the people. Take for instance the life of the Viequenses, you must experience the sea from a tiny fishing boat, una yola. You must take that lancha back and forth to buy the bare essentials, not that there are no such places on Vieques, but people complaint about the quality, the prices, the freshness etc. What about medical services?; There is an issue: transportation during an emergency, not easy, and a great issue for the populares that became involved in providing essential medical services right on the island of Vieques. You would think the Navy, with all its might would like to be good neighbors, they have never been, I wonder why?

Then there is the problem of housing, jobs and education for the youth or young married couples in Vieques. What about the viejos who love to retire there because they find it is less stress than living in Bayamon? That my friend is deep culture, to understand it is to live it, to hear it, to get into arguments about it and who is responsible and how to solve all these problems, the bare essense of daily existence.

4. SITUATIONAL CULTURE
Then there is situational culture, you see how apprehensive the gringos who are part of the military who had retired in la isla nena became, they looked frightened, and closed their doors and did not interact very much with the viequenses, when the confrontation between the people and the Navy became a red hot issue. In the middle of it all, I spoke with a bunch of gringo turist who vacationed in la Esperanza, in the public beaches, eat at the restaurants and even rented houses in Vieques and did not even notice Camp Garcia! I had to get a copy of the Vieques Times and read a few articles to them so they could understand where they where, not just on a Caribbean Beach.

Then there is the conflict between the political parties, after all this is our national sport, arguments between populares, estadistas and independentistas. It is called situational culture, we find an opportunity, a situation, and voila! there we go, in the carro publico, la lancha, la guagua, anywhere and everywhere in a big, long discussion about politics. And people will say, don't get involved in public discussions about religion or politics, ay bendito, forget that, it can't be done! It matters not the mix, all PRs, PRs of different parties, PRs and others ie. cubans, dominicans and virgin islanders, even the gringos who are willing to get down and dirty (not too often), we will get into it, hot and heavy, this my friend is situational culture. The issues all touch our deep culture, it's called the affective domain; it is deep, but because all we need is the situation and we will jump into politics, religion, socio-economics, history, music, world view, you name it, we will go at it! And we love it! We negotiate this situational culture through politics, through tolerance, through a true sense of social justice. How? In the case of Vieques by becoming active in something called: GAT/P (Grupo de Apoyo Tecnico y Profesional al Desarrollo Sustentable de Vieques). Or by supporting the women, the fishermen, the political parties or the churches that are involved in the movement.

5. LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION
Now here is an important issue. The issue of Language and Communication.

In the USA this becomes much bigger, 30 million plus are affected; It is a major struggle, the issue of language and Latin American culture. true we are in a constant defense of our language at home, but when we are out of our Puerto Rican milieu then we really get ferocious. Take for instance the English Language Loyalty battle, they (The English Only Mob) have lots of money and are always trying to get ways to get 35 States to pass a Gringo Constituional Ammendment to make English the Official language in the USA. Here even the Cuban from Dade County gets into the act! (See language loyalty by James Crawford).

Knowledge and Comprehension. As a teacher you are concerned with language and communication within a classroom or helping a person who has to go to a classroom and needs to turn in an assignment. Let us say you are a tutor and the person has problems with knowledge and comprehension in English. "Comprehension may be regarded as relating what we attend to in the world around us-the visual information of print in the case of what you are reading- (right now on this visual field)to what we already have in our heads. And learning can be considered as modifying what we already have in our heads as a consequence of attending to the world around us." (Smith)

What you don't have is the knowledge I have stored behind my eyes, the knowledge of the world I carry around with me all the time. What I don't have is the knowledge you have stored behind your eyes, the knowledge of the world you carry around with you. What we share (you and I) is that we both have knowledge of a process called reading. Thus comprehension and learning are fundamentally the same process. (Smith). So what you must figure out is what is in my head and then (without the benefit of all that non-visual information, the sound of my voice, the pitch, the stress, the tone, the body language, the facial gestures, etc.) you must enable the brain, your brain to make sense of of the visual information that comes through the eyes while reading this post. You are looking for meaning. You may get angry, that is fine, I get angry about what I read and what I hear, no problem. Or you may reflect and disagree in a very objective manner, fine, post me some of your thoughts. I will respond.

6. The World of Ideas is contiguous.
We need to box all these up for the gringos because in reality there is no such compartmentalization, but because so many have been brain washed, we need to make these dicotomies and create divisions in what people consider "culture." The gringo paradigm is based on categories. And so we make catagories because we must. Just so they can start getting out of their boxes, just to have a small opening for the dialogue. So here goes another category:


Philosophy, world view, values and morals. This is not even a debate, the minute you attack the gringo paradigms, the debate, the dialogue is over. The gringo paradigms are predicated on psychology, on genetics, on racism, classism, sexism and all those isms that serve as control to keep each group in their cubby holes. And Gringos have such a hard time when you refuse to give them their stereotype, when they ask you and where do you come from, and how come your English is so good? Or where did you learn that accent? When it comes to the Puerto Ricans, outside of New York, New Jersey and Chicago, they have no idea where Puerto Rico really is in the world map. Well you know where Miami is, yes? Then there is Cuba, yes? Then Haiti and Santo Domingo, yes? Well trust me there is a sequence, they are called the greater Antilles, then there is Puerto Rico. No, no on the Pacific, the other side, the Atlantic!
Ah, to negotiate an existance with such people on a day to day basis, not easy, my dear, not easy!

7.History and the Oral tradition.

Now there is a lot to be discussed here. Starting from the traditional and ending with the formal agreement between human groups who have defined themselves as different from other groups. The history of the struggle for the liberation of our people, the history of a colony in the year 2002, who would believe what we say to people about our struggle? It goes against everything that the empire promotes and says they uphold. Everything, democracy, peace, justice, human and civil rights, equality, freedom...y no quiero seguir, estoy vieja y cansada y tengo tanto que hacer. Me entretengo con estas "posteadas". ME PROVOCAN! Ya, basta ya!

So please, try to go beyond formal culture, please.

Sincerely,

Yautia

Paz Para Vieques
Puerto Rico Vencerá

[Malanga40]

For your edification for teachers interested in the theory and practice of language teaching and language learning:

Curriculum Issues for Adaptation for Bilingual/Multicultural Education, studies in the field:


5. LANGUAGE AND NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Theory: Language and Linguistic Theory for Puerto Rican Bilingual Teachers

"Phonics is to Phonetics as paper cutting is to brain surgery."

We are interested in phonetic laws only as it applies to the languages that are "on the road to extinction" or shall we say we are interested in these theories only as it relates to traditonal peasant societies in the Caribbean Basin. These are mainly dependent on the oral tradition not on "book learning." Linguistic theory here is used only for an explication of thought as it relates to meaning in a very traditional sense and as it relates to ethnicity and culutre. The language of a group of people who prefer non-literate, non technical communication and prefer "low brow" colorfull expressions for the vernacular in and out of the workplace and whenever/whereever possible. Let us call these "prefereed modes" of communication. In this model or mode the shift to non-verbal or supra segmentals of language is paramount (the tone, the stress, the pitch, gestures of face and body are extremely important. These are missing as we speak (I write /you read). and so you must figuere out how these supra-segmentals deepen and communicate the essence of what is meant by language and non-verbal communication in this situational culture of the internet at puertorico.com.

Meaning here must have a psycholinguistic component, a common Puerto Rican paradigm, let us say, a "reference frame which includes all phases and functions of language" (functions i.e. A.K. Halloway's functions of language). As a good bilingual teacher you can teach children to focus on the functions of the English language. Teach the child to look up to a very nice English teacher, make a cute little face and say "Please, teach me how to do this" or "Please, can you do this for me?" or better yet start with "Please, can you listen to what I have to say?" "Help me, please." You can really get creative and teach them to use the function of "Do as I say and do not question my authority!" etc. So much for situational culture.

Dialect and Dialetical Usage:

This discussion will focus on formal culture as it relates to language usage in the various language domains. (the cultural context of dialectical variation and the variety of dialects within any modern language is one of the favorite themes of those of us within the groups that speak Spanish or are considered as Hispanic within the mainstream of US Latin American ethnic groups. We can leave the historical analyisis of these groups for the history of dialectical variations with the Hispanic US community.

Now here is an important issue. The varieties of Spanish among : Spanish Speaking" Bilinguals. The linguistic theoretical considerations will be based on how these variations are related to the symbolic and socio-psychological aspects of the problems generated by the so-called users of "rational code-switching."


In the USA this becomes much bigger, 30 million plus are affected; It is a major struggle, the issue of language and Latin American culture. true we are in a constant defense of our language at home, but when we are out of our Puerto Rican milieu then we really get ferocious. Take for instance the English Language Loyalty battle, they (The English Only Mob) have lots of money and are always trying to get ways to get 35 States to pass a Gringo Constituional Ammendment to make English the Official language in the USA. Here even the Cuban from Dade County gets into the act! (See language loyalty by James Crawford).

Knowledge and Comprehension. As a teacher you are concerned with language and communication within a classroom or helping a person who has to go to a classroom and needs to turn in an assignment. Let us say you are a tutor and the person has problems with knowledge and comprehension in English. "Comprehension may be regarded as relating what we attend to in the world around us-the visual information of print in the case of what you are reading- (right now on this visual field)to what we already have in our heads. And learning can be considered as modifying what we already have in our heads as a consequence of attending to the world around us." (Frank Smith's "Understanding Reading"))

What you don't have is the knowledge I have stored behind my eyes, the knowledge of the world I carry around with me all the time. What I don't have is the knowledge you have stored behind your eyes, the knowledge of the world you carry around with you. What we share (you and I) is that we both have knowledge of a process called reading. Thus comprehension and learning are fundamentally the same process. (Smith). So what you must figure out is what is in my head and then (without the benefit of all that non-visual information, the sound of my voice, the pitch, the stress, the tone, the body language, the facial gestures, etc.) you must enable the brain, your brain to make sense of of the visual information that comes through the eyes while reading this post. You are looking for meaning. You may get angry, that is fine, I get angry about what I read and what I hear, no problem. Or you may reflect and disagree in a very objective manner, fine, post me some of your thoughts. I will respond.

6. The World of Ideas is contiguous.
We need to box all these up for the gringos because in reality there is no such compartmentalization, but because so many have been brain washed, we need to make these dicotomies and create divisions in what people consider "culture." The gringo paradigm is based on categories. And so we make catagories because we must. Just so they can start getting out of their boxes, just to have a small opening for the dialogue. So here goes another category:


Philosophy, world view, values and morals. This is not even a debate, the minute you attack the gringo paradigms, the debate, the dialogue is over. The gringo paradigms are predicated on psychology, on genetics, on racism, classism, sexism and all those isms that serve as control to keep each group in their cubby holes. And Gringos have such a hard time when you refuse to give them their stereotype, when they ask you and where do you come from, and how come your English is so good? Or where did you learn that accent? When it comes to the Puerto Ricans, outside of New York, New Jersey and Chicago, they have no idea where Puerto Rico really is in the world map. Well you know where Miami is, yes? Then there is Cuba, yes? Then Haiti and Santo Domingo, yes? Well trust me there is a sequence, they are called the greater Antilles, then there is Puerto Rico. No, no on the Pacific, the other side, the Atlantic!
Ah, to negotiate an existance with such people on a day to day basis, not easy, my dear, not easy!

7.History and the Oral tradition.

Now there is a lot to be discussed here. Starting from the traditional and ending with the formal agreement between human groups who have defined themselves as different from other groups. The history of the struggle for the liberation of our people, the history of a colony in the year 2002, who would believe what we say to people about our struggle? It goes against everything that the empire promotes and says they uphold. Everything, democracy, peace, justice, human and civil rights, equality, freedom...y no quiero seguir, estoy vieja y cansada y tengo tanto que hacer. Me entretengo con estas "posteadas". ME PROVOCAN! Ya, basta ya!

So please, try to go beyond formal culture, please.

Sincerely,

Malanga editing for Yautiawoman

Yautia [/b][/quote]
Paz Para Vieques
Puerto Rico Vencerá



[/b][/quote]

[Jazzymel]

Primero yo quiero decir a yautia que no soy gringa. Soy Puertoriqueña y Mexicana. Mi madre nacio en Puerto Rico y yo tengo família en Puerto Rico. Since I wrote the original message on this forum yo tengo aprendido más español... pero todavía estoy aprendiendo.

Y a Guaili: "Raices"... I picked it up while I was in Puerto Rico and I love the video!!!

I want to thank all of you for responding to my original message. I have spanish speaking parents and they help me... pero not enough. I'm not home as much as I wish to be, but out of both of mis padres, mi mami es más ayuda. I have some friends that speak spanish that I learn from as well. I do love the culture and history of Puerto Rico... and it does help a lot. ¡Muchas gracias a todo! Bendiciones, y cuídate. Dios te bendiga.

[PRtaino]

DON'T SAY YOUR PUERTO RICAN IF YOU' WERE NOT BORN ON THE ISLAND OR HAVE NEVER LIVED ON THE ISLAND. ALL THAT YOU ARE IS THE CONSEQUENCE OF AN ACT CALLED SEX PERFORMED BY TWO PUERTO RICAN NATIONALS.

[Malanga40]

Originally posted by PRtaino
DON'T SAY YOUR PUERTO RICAN IF YOU' WERE NOT BORN ON THE ISLAND OR HAVE NEVER LIVED ON THE ISLAND. ALL THAT YOU ARE IS THE CONSEQUENCE OF AN ACT CALLED SEX PERFORMED BY TWO PUERTO RICAN NATIONALS.

___________________________________________________________

My Dear PRtaino: !Que Bravo! Maybe we can help our Chicano-Rican friends who surf Puerto Rico.com with some
basic pointer. How about if you start with putting in some blood, sweat and tears into language learning. After all everybody who struggles to remain and/or even be a Puerto Rican, (porque como dice Corretjer, "Aunque naciera en la luna"), one needs to work hard to learn what it means to be a Puerto Rican.

What if we pick out a few pieces of poetry from a foreign poet and try to translate them into Spanish, Puerto Rican Spanish, then into English for our Chicano-Neo-Rican friends on this forum:

Let us say we chose the following:

Leve, Leve, Muy leve
Por Fernando Pessoa

Leve, leve, muy leve
Un viento muy leve pasa
Y se va siempre muy levemente.
Y no se que es lo que pienso,
Ni me preocupa saberlo.

_____________________________________________
Gently, gently, very gently
A breeze very gently passes
And gently, very gently it always leaves
And I do not know what my thoughts are,
Nor should I ponder.

______________________________________________

Al Atardecer, Recostado Sobre la Jardinera
Por Fernando Pessoa

Al atardecer, recostado sobre la jardinera,
Y sabiendo, mirando hacia el lado
Que hay campos en frente.
Leo hasta que me arden los ojos
El libro de Cesario Verde.

!Que pena me da con el!
El era un campesino
Que andava preso en libertad por la ciudad
Mas el modo como miraba las casas,
Y el modo de contemplar las calles,
Y la manera como observaba los objetos
Era como quien mira los arboles,
Es de alguien que baja su mirada
Para sequir el cendero por donde va caminando.
Y anda fijandose en las flores que cubren los campos

Por Eso tenia aquella enorme tristeza
Que el nunca dijo que tenia
Mas andaba en la ciudad
Como quien anda en el campo;
Y triste como el que seca flores en los libros
Y el que pone plantas en los jarros.

_____________________________________________________
At Dusk, Leaning Over the Flower Beds
By Fernando Pessoa

At dusk, leaning over the flower beds;
And aware, as I gaze from side to side
That there are fields ahead;
I read the book by Cesario Verde
Until my eyes burn.

How sorry I feel for him!
He was a peasant
Imprisoned by the City though walking freely,
Yet the manner in which he gazed at houses,
And the manner in which he contemplated the streets
And the manner in which he observed things
Ws as someone who gazes at trees,
Someone who lowers his eyes
To follow the path on which he walks;
Intent on walking while fixed
On the flowers that cover the fields.

That was the reason for his great sadness,
Which he never said that he felt.
But he walked in the City as one who walks in the fields.
And sad as one who dries flowers in books,
And places the plants in pots.
_________________________________________________________
Que No Diera Si Mi Vida Fuera Un Carro de Bueyes

Que no diera si mi vida fuera un carro de bueyes
Que va chillando de madrugada temprano por la senda.
Y para luego volver despues
Casi al anochecer, por la misma senda.

No tendria que tener esperanzas-
Solo necesitaria ruedas.
En mi envejecer no tendria
Arrugas, ni cabello blanco…
Y cuando ya no sirva para nada,
Me qutarian mis ruedas
Y quedaria tirado, virado y partido
Al fundo de un barranco.

___________________________________________________________

La Luna Cuando Bate el Pasto

La Luna Cuando Bate el Pasto
No se que cosa me recuerda…
Me recuerda la voz de criada vieja
Contandome Cuentos de ada.
Y de como nuestra Senora vestida de mendiga
Recorria de noche los caminos
Socorriendo a las criaturas maltratadas.

Si es que ya no puedo creer en esas verdades,
Para que vate la luna el pasto?

___________________________________________________________
English Translation


The moon, when it beats the grass,
I know not what memories it brings me…
It reminds me of an old nanny
Telling me fairy tales
About Our Lady dressed as a beggar
Walking the streets at night
In order to rescue children that had been mistreated

If I cannot, any longer, believe in these truths,
Why does the moon beat the grass?

_____________________________________________________
En Mi Plato, !Que Mexcla de Naturaleza!

!En mi plato, que mexcla de Naturaleza!
Como hermanas mias estas plantas
Como companeras de fuentes, como Santas
A quien nadie reza.

Y cordadas vienen a nuestra mesa
Y en los hoteles los hespedes ruidosos,
Que llegan como paquetes envueltos
Y piden “Ensalada” descuidadamente…,
Sin pensar que exigen a la Tierra-madre su frescura
Y sus hijos primeros.
Las primeras palabras verdes que ella tiene;
Las primeras cosas vivas y
Radiantes que Noe vio,
Cuando las aguas descendieron
Y las cimas de los montes
Verdes y enchumbados aparecieron
En el cielo donde la paloma aparcio
Y el Arco Iris lentamente se esboso…


__________________________________________________
Si Pudiera Hendir La Tierra Toda

Si pudiera hendir la tierra toda,
Y sentirla en mi paladar,
Seria mas feliz por un momento…
Mas no siempre quiero ser feliz.
Es preciso ser de vez en cuando infeliz,
Para poder ser natural.

No todos los dias son de sol,
Y la lluvia, cuando falta mucho,
Se hecha de menos.
Por eso tomo la infelicidad con la felicidad
Naturalmente, como alguien que no se extrana
Que existan montes y planicies
Y que haiga rocas y yerba.

Y que es preciso ser natural y calmado;
Tomar la felicidad con la infelicidad.
Sentir como uno que mira,
Pensar como uno que anda,
Y cuando se va a morir,
Recordar que el dia tambien muere.
Y que la puesta del sol es bella,
Y bella la noche que se queda.
Asi es, y asi sea.

________________________________________________________

Now this is a translation from the original to the Spanish and from the Spanish to the English by one of my students. there are mistakes in the text and your job as a bilingual teacher is to make suggestions to improve (INCLUDING THE MECHANICS, SUCH AS ACCENT, SPELLING AND SEMANTICS)on the translation from Portuguese to Spanish to English. The poems are full of meaning for Puerto Ricans and one can teach the student to research poetry that has meaning. Also to compare to Puerto Rican poets. (Students can make their own book of poetry). It is very important to do research and learn to translate the words of the poet as close to the original as possible, not easy when one has to translate to a different language and culture. In this case to a feeling for Puerto Rican language, culture and political situation when looking for universal models.
Remember who is your reader, the people who surf pr.com.

And remember traductore, traidore! (o algo por ahi, algo como el que traduce es un traidor).

Malanga40.

:0 :0 :0

[Shiny]

Hello every one.
I am also very interested in learning Spanish - I have no Spanish, Mexican, or Puerto Rican blood in me, but have recently become fascinated with Puerto Rico. I live in New Zealand, but will visit one day.

[Malanga40]

[quote]Originally posted by Shiny
[b]Hello every one.
I am also very interested in learning Spanish - I have no Spanish, Mexican, or Puerto Rican blood in me, but have recently become fascinated with Puerto Rico. I live in New Zealand, but will visit one day.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Dear Shiny: You see it is not a question of blood, it is
a question of culture and a shift in paradigm on your part.
It matters not if you are Anglo, if you live in New Zealand
or in Ginnea Bisao, Spanish, Mexican or Puerto Rican, if you
do not know the culture, the language and the history to begin with, (Level One, formal culture) you cannot even get
to first base. So let us see if we can help. Take for
instance the Poetry of Clemente Soto Velez. He is a gem of a poet, yet the odds are you never heard of him.

First read, then find the words that you understand, some need accents and you must correct, make new sentences from the words that are used and create your own poetry:

Caballo de Palo
Clemente Soto Velez

Lo conoci
cuidando
caballos de palo y vacas de piedra
dandoles de comer
la infancia de su ensueûo
ansioso de servir
a los hombres.

Lo conoci
jugando
con su edad
entre las flores,
cargando
agua para bocas sedientas
en las copas de los arboles

Lo conoci
conversando
entre sueûos con el sufrimiento universal
de los obreros
o la pluralidad del coraz\n
abriendo
las mordeduras de sus pajinas
ante el tribual de los dolores.

Lo conoci
acusando
la tinta del embuste repetido
que propaga
en sus curvas de aspid la mentira.

Lo conoci
combatiendo
las puas agudisimas con que muerde
el engaûo a la pureza fiel que le ofrece
las manos como rosas abiertas,
creyendolo
pastor de ovejas con ajuar de paisajes
o buen apacentador de llamaradas tiernas.

Lo conoci
arrancando
la noche temerosa del miedo
donde atesora
el suplicio auroras de sudor no compensado
o el degolladero certifica
la presencia de prendas naturales.

Lo conoci
entregandole
el atardecer el color de sus alas extendidas
para enamorar la eternidad de su niûes.

Lo conoci
echando
a correr
su voz sobre las aguas
para cultivar
el alfabeto del pueblo
o niûo qu arrulla
en los brazos todo el llanto del mundo.

Lo conoci
corriendo
detras de su persona
como la luz tras de su cuerpo
o como el amor que salta
de alegria
cuando encuentra
sus ojos.

Lo conoci
viajando
por dentro de los pajaros
que llevan
el espacio colgando de sus picos
como pasaporte sideral
para que el acto de crear
are la tentaci\n de sus cuidados.

Lo conoci
abasteciendo
el disgusto en toda su fortuna,
con la hemoblobina virjinal
que forma
en la palabra cada rosa.

Lo conoci
dejando
a su sueûo dormir
en azoteas para probar
la amarga dulzura de la luna.

Lo conoci
poniendo
la noche de almohada
por no desconsolar
a la fatiga
ni al signo triangular de la certeza
donde el afecto abre
sus rosas de cien hojas.

Lo conoci
remando
contra sueûos de horizontes auriferos
donde la tierra es huesped
de la luz sin traje y sin sombrero,
y la libertad
liquido en su jirar de marullos de nubes
con alas persuasivas,
donde nifas de piedra,
de perfiles perfectos ajitan
la mente de los bosques traspasados de pena,
duros como el diamante que se pule las unas
con el corbon paciente
que lleva entre los brazos.

Lo conoci
abrazando
la carne enternecida de llanto del rocio
para no detestar
la alegria dolorosa de ser
pesadumbre celeste para la hoja leve
que nutre el desamparo.

Lo conoci
temiendo
perder el arcoiris extraûo de la muerte
que doma su caballo
cuando corre la lluvia con sus cascos sonoros,
hacia los vecindarios de camisas dolientes,
donde los heusos jimen
y las canciones lloran
como tambores funebres de un entierro de estrellas.

Lo conoci
elijiendo
aulladeros de ensueûos
como eclipses hambientos,
para no empobrecer
los colmillos de una tierra sin luna
o aullidos de noche disecada,
donde la calidez de la joven palabra
recobra la sange que pierde
velando a su cuerpo.


La conoci
saliendo
a liberar a la joven piedra
de hastio encanecida,
que riela sola comoa la o expansiva
de universos lentisimos
entre cielos empedrados de lobos.

Lo conoci
soûando
como hombre
que sigue el curso de la espiga,
no atreviendose
el tedio a llorar
sus caminos por ser la mßsica
jentil de su cadaver
nevada muerte de mßsica de llama.

Lo conoci
meciendo
las quejas gallardas de su muerte
en los recintos lucidos del dolor liberado,
para desenterrar
el silencio
que encuentra
en sus rodillas la libertad cantando.

Lo conoci
adorando
a la ninez aureolada de hombre
como un jirasol tierno
sin haberse ofendido
para andar por su predio de inmesidad futura
como el nino que en su belleza encanta
el ser insospechable de una pregunta injenua.

Lo conoci
desalentando
la ciencia del temor.
Y el temor
va empalideciendo
como cal deshonrada
o como jinete que huyendo de la tierra,
intenta domar nubes.

Lo conoci
aydando
a no enterrar su muerte
para dar testimonio del cadaver
que canta en su acompanamiento
como voz sideral
de una tierra de anjeles.


Malanga for

Yautia (until she returns from Vieques).