Number-one bestselling author
*Dedicated to our guide through Santiago de Cuba. An everyday angel.
We sat
in a restaurant
that was nestled
in the clouds.
I could see
a couple dancing,
moving as if
the very air
was filled with
music.
There were
apartments and dwellings
that rose up
high around us,
built on top
of one another.
I wondered if
those that lived
within those homes
knew that the
sky belonged to
them.
Our guide
sat and regarded
us with kind
eyes that had
seen so much.
The air around him
was filled with
the scents of vinegar,
spiced shrimp and
marinated chicken with
beans and rice.
The scents evoked
a mellowing of
my spirit and
soothed my turbulent
soul.
He spoke:
“The truth of it is that we find joy in our pain.”
Time had slowed
down when he
spoke, when he
shaped his words.
His voice was
melodic and each
rounded syllable was
like a musical
note.
He said:
“When life rises up to meet us, we look at it and laugh.”
He smiles when
he says this.
I can see
the twinkle in
his dark eyes.
They are windows
to his soul
and they contain
multitudes.
He said:
“There are times when I want to give up.”
He took a
moment to think
of his words
and I could see
him choosing and
discarding words that
didn’t make any
sense.
He said:
“But I never give up, there is too much life to live, no?”
The group sits
and we all
sip our beer,
listening to the
sounds of people
below us and
the noise of
traffic and I
realise that what
we are hearing
is the sound
of life being
lived.
This is truly wonderful. Beautifully composed.