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.

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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