You open the packet of Peak milk you bought from the supermarket last night. Your eyes fall on the picture on the body of the pack. You stare at it and suddenly you find yourself in a beach in Cuba.
It is a beautiful beach with blue water, tall coconut trees and hills. Cool breeze blows across the beach. Everywhere is calm and peaceful. As you walk along the sand, you see four men rowing in a boat.
They invite you to join them in the boat. You hesitate and watch them closely. They are singing. You listen to them.
“Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera
Yo soy un hombre sincero
De don de crece la palma
Yantes des morirme guiero
Echar mis versos del alma
Guantanamera, guajira, guantanamera”
The song is so beautiful and captivating. You wish you knew the lyrics to sing along with them.
“Mi verso es de un verde claro
Y de un carmín encendido
Mi verso es un querido cielo
Que busca en el monte amparo
Guantanamera, guajira, guantanamera”
You are intrigued. You speak out at the top of your voice, “I don’t speak Spanish, is there any one who speaks English? What do these words mean?”
“I speak English,” a voice replies behind you.
You turn around and see a young man holding a coconut and sipping on the juice from a straw.
He smiles at you and says, “Let me translate for you. The words mean:
I am a truthful man from the land of the palm trees
And before dying I want to share these poems of my soul
My poems are soft green
My poems are words of flaming crimson
My poems are like a wounded fawn seeking refuge in the forest
With the poor people of this earth I want to share my fate
The streams of the mountain please me more than the sea”
“Wow! Thank you!” You reply and shake his hand, “Are you a poet?” You inquire.
He nods his head, “Yes, I am a spoken word artiste.”
He offers you a coconut with a straw.
You accept it and take a sip of the tasty juice. The juice is so delicious and magically transforms you into a Spanish speaker.
You join the men as they sing at the top of their voices.
“Guantanamera! Guajira guantanamera!”
Prang!!!
Your phone suddenly rings and you are back to reality in your house.
You scoop two spoonfuls of the peak milk into the beverage in the cup. You pour in hot water from the kettle, stir with a spoon and start sipping on the hot tea.
You take a sip and exclaim, “Guantanamera! Guajira guantanamera!”
Iniobong Leroi Umoh is a storyteller, a satirist and creative writer. He blurs the line between reality and fiction and seeks to create a connection with the reader through engaging content. His works have been featured across various online and offline platforms. He hopes to one day travel around the world on a luxury yacht, sipping expensive wine and documenting all his experiences in a journal.
You can send him a mail at infoleric@gmail.com.
