The March
I am about to step outside, I am about to step outside
to the elements and my anticipation is a long inhalation
that covers the world upon release. This is the beginning
of a movement based on facts and not on sentiment
or pronouncements, though both sentiment and
pronouncements are useful and worthy. As I begin to lift
my left foot, my sartorius muscle allows my knee to move
up towards my body. I am joined by others, however
they can join with me, others who have suffered and
are not afraid to continue suffering. What we seek is a
new majority rooted in justice for all whose conscience
is committed to ceasing wrongs and doing right. What
we want is nothing about us without us. What we want
is for each individual to define their own identity and
expect that society will respect them. We shift our weight,
unlock our knees. Arrange our bodies in the best way for
each of us. For an instant, most of us are standing on one
foot. We are not in a hurry. We are not dreaming. We are
ready to give up everything, even our lives. We shall do it
without violence because that is our conviction. What we
want is freedom, what we want is the power to determine
our destiny. As my left foot comes down, it is coordinated
with my right and they match the equivalent movement of
those who have joined me, and with whom I am joining.
We are firmly rooted. Whenever possible, we let our limbs
swing in a natural motion and keep our heads facing
forward. What we want is the complete elimination of
military forces, not just from this or that territory, but
from every corner, every outpost, on earth. What we
want is full and meaningful employment. What we want
is decent, safe housing. What we want is an education
that teaches us our true histories and their consequences
on the present. As each of us lifts our right foot (or
makes the equivalent movement to ambulate), we are
now a perfectly synchronized force, even in our
differences and occasional disorder. What we want is an
immediate stop to state brutality and the assassination
of black people, and native people, and disabled people,
and queer people and trans people, and women, and
children, and mothers and fathers who can only do so
much because they are shackled by the very state that
seeks to kill them for having foolishly believed they
were free. What we want are the doors flung open to
Folsom, Riker’s, Guantánamo, San Quentin, San Juan
de Lurigancho, ADX Florence Supermax, La Sabaneta,
Attica, Camp 22, Pollsmoor. It would be fatal to overlook
he urgency of the moment. As we advance, we are a
thunderous thrum. Some of us will run under the rain in
Seattle, and toward traffic to block Lake Shore Drive
in Chicago. Others will flood Wall Street and more will
storm the port of Oakland. There will be one lonely soul
in snowy Bethel, Alaska, and clusters in Little Rock,
in sweltering Ferguson, in Tallahassee and Flagstaff,
Baltimore, Detroit, Honolulu, Boise, in ancient Salem,
Wichita and Northampton, Oklahoma City and Spearfish,
South Dakota. Nerve and muscle adapt to the rhythmic
stimulus of our own noise, the noise we make together.
It is true that when in the course of human events, it
becomes necessary for one person to connect to another
and another and another in order to defend our equality,
our difference, our dependence on one another, then
Le marcha
Estoy a punto de salir, estoy a punto de salir a les
elementos y mi anticipación es une largue inhalación
que cubre le mundo tras soltarse. Este es le comienzo de
une movimiento basado en hechos y no en sentimientos
o pronunciamientos, aunque ambes sentimientos y
pronunciamientos son útiles y dignes. Cuando empiezo
a levantar mi pie izquierde, mi músculo sartorio permite
que mi rodilla se mueva hacia mi cuerpo. Me acompañan
otres, no obstante pueden unirse conmigo otres que han
sufrido, y que no tienen miedo de seguir sufriendo. Le que
buscamos es une nueve mayoría arraigada a le justicia
para todes aquelles cuya conciencia está comprometide
a poner fin a le mal y hacer le bien. No queremos nada
sobre nosotros sin nosotros. Le que queremos es que cada
individuo defina su propia identidad y pueda tener le
expectativa de que le sociedad le respete. Desplazamos
nuestro peso, desbloqueamos nuestres rodillas.
Disponemos nuestres cuerpos de le mejor manera para
cada une de nosotres. Por une instante, le mayoría de
nosotres estamos parades sobre une pie. No tenemos
prisa. No estamos soñando. Estamos dispuestes a
renunciar a todo, incluso a nuestres vidas. Le haremos
sin violencia porque ese es nuestre convicción. Le que
queremos es libertad, le que queremos es le poder para
determinar nuestre destino. Mientras mi pie izquierde
baja, está coordinado con mi dereche y coinciden con le
movimiento equivalente de aquelles que se han unido a
mí, y a les que me estoy uniendo. Estamos firmemente
arraigades. Siempre que sea posible, dejamos que nuestres
miembres se muevan de manera natural y mantenemos
nuestres cabezas hacia adelante. Le que queremos es
le eliminación complete de les fuerzas militares, no sólo
de este o aquelle territorio, sino de todes les rincones,
de todes les puestos fronterizes, sobre le tierra. Le que
queremos es trabajo plene y significative. Le que queremos
son viviendas decentes y segures. Le que queremos es une
educación que nos enseñe nuestres verdaderes historias
y sus consecuencias sobre le presente. A medida que
cada une de nosotres levanta le pie dereche (o hace le
movimiento paralele para moverse), ahora somos une
fuerza perfectamente sincronizade, incluse en nuestres
diferencias y desorden ocasional. Le que queremos es une
detención inmediate de le brutalidad estatal y le asesinato
de les negres, y les indígenes, y les personas discapacitades
y les personas trans, y las mujeres, y les niñes, y las
madres y los padres que sólo pueden hacer ese tanto
porque están encadenades por le mismo estado que busca
matarles por haber creído absurdamente que eran libres.
Le que queremos son les puertas abiertas a Folsom, Riker,
Guantánamo, San Quintín, San Juan de Lurigancho, ADX
Florencia Supermax, La Sabaneta, Attica, Campamento
22, Pollsmoor. Sería fatal pasar por alto le urgencia de
le momento. A medida que avanzamos, somos une ruido
de trueno. Algunes de nosotres correrán bajo le lluvia en
Seattle, y hacia le tráfico para bloquear Lake Shore Drive
en Chicago. Otres inundarán Wall Street y otres más
serán une tormenta en le puerto de Oakland. Habrá une
alma solitarie en le nevade Bethel, Alaska, y une puñado
en Little Rock, en le sofocade Ferguson, en Tallahassee
y Flagstaff, Baltimore, Detroit, Honolulu, Boise, en le
antigua Salem, Wichita y Northampton, Oklahoma City
y Spearfish en Dakota de le Sur. Le nervio y le músculo
se adaptan a le estímulo rítmique de nuestre propie ruido,
le ruido que hacemos juntes. Es cierto que cuando en
le transcurso de les acontecimientos humanes se hace
necesarie que une persona se conecte a otre, y a otre, y a
otre para defender nuestre igualdad, nuestre diferencia,
nuestre dependencia le une del otre, entonces
Achy Obejas is a Cuban-American writer, translator, and activist whose work focusing on personal and national identity has appeared in Prairie Schooner, Fifth Wednesday Journal, TriQuarterly, Another Chicago Magazine, and many other publications. A native of Havana, she currently lives in the San Francisco Bay area.
Credit: Excerpted from Boomerang/Bumerán by Achy Obejas (Beacon Press 2021). Reprinted with permission from Beacon Press.
Achy Obejas’ latest book is Boomerang/Bumerán. Visit with her and her work at the Miami Book Fair 2021.
Welcome to SWWIM Every Day’s preview coverage of Miami Book Fair (MBF) 2021! The poets whose work you’ll be reading every weekday from October 25 through November 12 are just a few of the many authors from around the world participating in this year’s MBF, the nation’s largest gathering of writers and readers of all ages. They all look forward to sharing their work, thoughts, and ideas both in person and online. Between November 14 and November 21, new poet conversations and readings will be launched and available for free on miamibookfaironline.com (in addition to other content). For more information, visit the website and follow MBF on Instagram and Twitter at @miamibookfair and use the hashtag #miamibookfair2021.
