Elian the Spectacle
Cathy Grier © 2000
boy floats
mother drowns
tinderbox conflicts igniting
lines drawn between politics and
human decency everyone sees? a
hero in a world needing martyrs
his position is huge
a little boy of six
trained like a parrot?
in a cage
following narrow tracks
so carelessly
yet at six
any child
to please
a capacity for
incredible magical acts
marvelous
sage and pure
revealing all
the simplistic reality of
young vision
untainted by years
unconcerned with borders
a citizen of the world
elian the spectacle
elian the symbol
elian the rope in callused
hands of an unbeatable
tug of war
tug of war over
opinions of freedom
of motherly loss!
and fatherly cost
flesh and blood of humanity
alive off florida waters
no holiday cruise
tasting the aroma of greener grass
on the other side
overriding the smell of fear
to leave a country that
encouraged such a desperate act
for one that
seduced them to tryif we never had borders
or cold and hot wars
if we never had embargoes
if we never had our side
is better than theirs
we wouldn’t make him
armor as a shield
deflecting daggers
soft skin still bleeds
venomous spew
tragic nationalistic pride
elian the spectacle
elian the symbol
elian the rope in callused
hands of an unbeatable
tug of war
if we never had borders
we wouldn’t even know him
only a nameless faceless boy
instead of a tool
doing unremarkable things
amidst all the rhetoric
now entangled forever? in life before
and life after
if we could hear his voice speak
without influence
if we could be a fly
on the wall of his dreams
a revelation
now that he’s back in Cuba
do we really ever hear anymore about him
wait a minute, check your TV guide
for a reenactment of the whole story,
or at least one that was bought and re-written
so we can all sleep at night
our fears justified
elian the spectacle
elian the symbol
elian the rope in callused
hands of an unbeatable
tug of war
tug of war over
opinions of freedom
of motherly loss!
and fatherly cost