(Written upon reading Carlos Eire’s
Waiting for Snow in Havana)

La Pecara (The Fishbowl)

Mother, Father, Sister, Brother,
Stoic Abuela

Overt sorrow is not an option.
Castro’s regime dictates
we do what we must.
We stare ahead, stealing sideways glances
through moistened eyes.

Pedro Pan to Neverland
Childhood Lost

La Pecara

Alone, those departing enter the large glass
fishbowl enclosure.
It is the only time we look back,
pressed against glass blown thick, unbreakable.

Through this looking glass
our refugee stance magnifies
as we wave adios,
board our winged carrier.
Adios
Mother, Father,
Stoic Abuela

Adios Cuba

I don’t want to grow up.

(Historical note:  In 1962, Operation Pedro Pan
airlifted 14,000 children, many without visas
or parents, from Cuba to the United States.)