Artwork Sourced From Pinterest. Artist: Unknown.
Guayabera
by Antonio Rocco S. (Rocco Valentini)
It’s a hot day. The Earth exhales, Its breath thick with sun. Beneath my Panama hat, I see waves of heat Rippling like the embroidery On my guayabera. ¡Qué calor! ¡El sol abrasa! ¡El aire quema! Translation: It's so hot! The sun is scorching! The air is burning! ≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋ I spot her by the cabana. Her eyes are like ports To a cool island oasis, I long to take the ferry To her soul And chart a topographical map Of her body. ¡Ay, qué belleza! ¡Qué isla tan divina! ¡Que me lleve el viento a su orilla! Translation: Oh, what beauty! What a divine island! May the wind carry me to its shore! ≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋ I am no Quixote; I dare to dream the possible dream, I dare to fight the winnable fight, To live for tomorrow today, To love without chastity, up close, To see the summit of each mountain, And the depths of each ravine. ¡Por la cima! ¡Hasta el fondo! ¡Con todo el corazón! Translation: To the top! To the bottom! With all my heart! ≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋ I approach her and journey on— Through peaks of conversation And valleys of silence— Until night falls upon us. The moon is like a skilled metallurgist, Forging a sea of silver beneath its light, Illuminating her raven hair and bronze skin. ¡Qué belleza tan celestial! ¡Cabello de noche, mirada de estrella! ¡Piel de bronce, alma de fuego! Translation: What a celestial beauty! Hair of night, starry gaze! Bronze skin, fiery soul! ≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋ Lust opened the door. Love guided me through it. Loyalty closed it behind us. Now we live together In our own private paradise. Como la guayabera, el amor lleva en sus bolsillos Los sueños que se atreven, las luchas que se ganan, Lo que el corazón no puede mostrar en su manga. Translation: Like the guayabera, love carries in its pockets The dreams that dare, the battles that are won, What the heart cannot wear on its sleeve.