60 years on

Sixty years on

I wonder what white Cubans

And black Cubans think of Batista

What stories grandfathers and grandmothers

Washed and served with salad greens

At dinner tables in Cuba and America

What did parents teach their children

And what do children know of truth?

Sixty years on

I wonder what white Cubans

And black Cubans think of Castro

What stories grandfathers and grandmothers

Washed and served with salad greens

At dinner tables in Cuba and America

What did parents teach their children

And what do children know of truth?

Sixty years on

I wonder if white Cubans pine

For the privilege of oligarchy

And if black Cubans prefer servitude

Under Fulgencio or Fidel

Whether the rhythms remain

The same in Cuba and America

And if they can ever blend back again

Sixty years on

I wonder what Cubans in the streets

Dream of when they chant for freedom

Because fascist and communist dictators

Serve the same meal of salad greens

And only a few eat well.

7-27-21