JUST LAND: Poems
Jibaro Dreams
Emanuel Xavier
En la isla de Nueva York
I search for secret gardens
spiritual sanctuaries
a child lost in a forest of Jibaro dreams
where santos sail through the salsa of my soul
& only fruits fallen from the tree
violently smashing against once rat-infested grounds
remind me of the outside world
sweet juices spilling feeding the soil
with abuelas lagrimas
fathering life to our culture
nature to our concrete jungle
Earth bathing in virgin nectars
lodging seeds in uncemented wombs
struggling for growth somewhere beneath
the choking tight clothes of buildings and overpopulation
outside verandah fortresses
Spanish lullabies and guaguanco healing her birth
amongst the casitas de nuestra gente
still standing defiantly
freedom from oppression paradise
amidst metal and decay
Emanuel Xavier is author of several poetry books including Selected Poems of Emanuel Xavier and Love(ly) Child. His books have been finalists for International Latino Book Awards and Lambda Literary Awards and his work has appeared in Poetry, A Gathering of the Tribes, Best American Poetry, and elsewhere.
