Oración
By Amaury Pacheco
(Translated by Michael Deibert)
Here we are the pilgrims.
Myrrh, incense, gold from our poetic stay,
diamond rain we bring.
SAN LÁZARO, I pray to your heart for each Cuban,
materialize your goodness on the island, bathe it with your gifts,
beyond these edges so that prosperity
lights a fire in homes, in mind, body and soul.
SAN LÁZARO of the diasporas
poetic chimeric kabbalistic buddhist new age christian
progressive put in the 17 Cosmic friend of GOD
Give us Cubans the certainty to make our way
between the deceptions dangers discrepancies
disappointments sadness miseries and misfortunes
of a blurred destiny.
Convert the adventure of living
into the joy of being reborn at every moment.
Give us Cubans today the peace of change.
Biographical note:
Amaury Pacheco (born 1969) is an Afro-Cuban poet and activist and one of the founders of the Movimiento San Isidro, a group of activist artists that has staged protests against the restrictive measures of the Cuban government since 2018.
Translator’s note:
San Lázaro (Saint Lazarus), the patron saint of healing and the sick, is represented by the orisha Babalú-Ayé in the Santería religion. His shrine, the site of an annual pilgrimage, is located in the Havana suburb of Rincón.
