This poem made me upset. It was written in a way that touched my heart by emphasizing the tragic life of a Puerto Rican in 1973 and also made me angry that some people are made to suffer while others easily find the silver linings. “Juan, Miguel, Milagros, Olga, Manual, all died yesterday today and will die again tomorrow.” The life they had “yesterday”, their past, is gone since they are no longer living in their homeland, Puerto Rico.
Sadly, the life they are living “today” could be much better. They make little money and struggle to live a decent life with little luxuries. A majority of their time is spent traveling from their homes in Spanish Harlem all the way to Long Island so they can bury their loved ones. The “will die again tomorrow” refers to the fact the Puerto Ricans don’t see their life improving in the future in any great way.
Puerto Ricans are trapped. Although they try to live a good life, they are victims of something much larger and out of their control. They work hard and try to get raises to help lift their standard of living, but the reality is that they will be working hard for wages that are much less than they deserve. The only good news comes from the fortune teller, Sister Lopez.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment