Gloria Amescua
Myanmar
With lines from Pablo Huelguera and Moshahida Sulgana RItu
Dijo el hermoso:
A flowering of democracy y todas
las gardenias habían llegado
a escuchar la sinfonía. Tranquilidad
se aparece brevemente.
A pogrom against Muslims,
the Rohingyas—a rotting of the flower.
If a tree dies first, las hormigas
will erupt their volcanoes.
A Buddhist woman raped and killed.
Three Muslims detained and the insect
mob attacks, tortures, burns. They fear
getting an erection in public.
Cast out the Rohingyas!
Flee! The Naf River—a four-day trip
to Bangladesh. Ya casi llega la playa.
A helicopter dances with bullets.
Six boats, three lost—children drown,
a newborn abandoned. Orphans die
of hunger, seek shelter, hideouts—
prey for criminals en cortinas rojas.
La quince de la noche, una corona de rosales
durante la hora feliz. En este momento
pienso de nuevo. Thousands of stateless
men and women, logs in a river.
Oh! me distraje.
Corpses wash up on its shore.
Estoy poniéndome color de flan.
What must I have before dying?
El piano—oigo murmullos.
Pero nadie sabe que sabe
en aquellas pequeñas luces
diminutas.
Sources:
Huelguera, Pablo, “Conferencia,” Onda Corta. (to be published)
Ritu, Moshahida Sulgana, “Ethnic Cleansing in Myanmar,” The New York Times, July 13, 2012, A19.
BIO
Gloria Amescua is an inaugural member of Cantomundo, a national Latino poetry community. She resides in Austin, Texas and received a Masters degree from the University of Texas in Austin. Gloria has had poetry published in Poetgraphy, Di-Verse-City-Too, Tres-Di-Verse-City, Awakening, IXHUA, Di-Verse-City 2011, Kweli Journal (www.kwelijournal.org), Generations Literary Journal, Spring 2012 and Texas Poetry Calendar 2013. In addition, Gloria is a workshop presenter for youth and adults. She was also a 2011 resident at Hedgebrook’s Writers in Residence program on Whidbey Island, Washington.
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