Life and Its Work

A necessary part of life

new life wakes me: a tiny sun

with roots I must water daily

encouraging them

to plan their own attack upon discord.

Poor little bread of solidarity,

banner against the cold, fresh water for all the blood:

a mothering that must not vacate

the heart.

And against melancholy, confidence. Against despair,

my people's life

waving hands in the windows of this secret house.

Discover,

decipher,

articulate,

begin:

work of liberators and martyrs:

our obligations now.

They are among us, counting our steps

from breakfast to sleep,

stealth to stealth,

action to action,

life to life.

[Roque Dalton was an El Salvadoran poet and revolutionary who was assassinated in 1975. This poem was translated by Margaret Randall in celebration of the victory of Mauricio Funes, the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) candidate for president in El Salvador, on March 15.]

From GLW issue 790