LONGING - José M. Raposo

LONGING

(Saudade)

José M. Raposo

Yanked by a desire for better living

And riding on the wings of destiny,

I left...

Forget will I never

The trilling of the wild canary

Or the whistle of the black bird;

The variegated color of the hydrangeas

Dividing the green fields,

Or the multicolored azaleas

In the parks and gardens;

The gentle waves kissing the black sandy beaches,

Or the fury of the surf pounding

On the volcanic shores of the Island.

Thousands of miles away,

Wearing out the leather soles of my adulthood,

I long for the basaltic cobbled stones of my youth,

Where, so many times

I left the skin of my feet.