I spent the last week cleaning my office, mostly sorting through papers, including personal letters. Remember when we would write letters to family and friends by hand or sometimes used a typewriter? Among the most moving was a letter from my friend, José Antonio Burciaga, and tucked in there was a small hand-drawn whimsical caricature of himself on the back of an index card. I wish I’d taken a picture I could share with you today, but I didn’t. But the drawing is currently at a framing shop, where it is being matted and framed. I will think of him every time I look at it.
I first met Tony when we were seated next to each other at a MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) fundraising event in San Francisco and we became fast friends. At that time, I was a young lawyer who had just moved to San Francisco to work for MALDEF. He was already well-known, but I was unfamiliar with his work. He was the most versatile artist I’ve ever known. Originally an illustrator and graphic artist, he was equally gifted as a poet, essayist, satirist, and muralist. For several years, he was part of the original comedy troupe Culture Clash, so he was also a comedian.
In 1992, his book of poetry, Undocumented Love, won the American Book Award, and in 1995, he was bestowed the Hispanic Heritage Award for Literature. Sadly, Tony died of cancer the following year. I still miss him. El pinche cancer. Click here to learn more about Tony's life and work. If you haven't read any of his books, I highly recommend you do so. They address issues that continue to be central to our political discourse.
In this letter, Tony was encouraging me to write. I had recently left law to become a freelance journalist. I am reminded that friendship is the dearest gift anyone can bestow upon us. As I close out the year, I give thanks to dear friends and family, near and far, whose support has encouraged and sustained me.
Another item I found in my office closet was a beautiful small print I bought in Cuba on New Year’s Eve in 2017. That was the year that I spent several weeks in Cuba. I had completely forgotten that I had purchased this print, which is also quite memorable. Along with Tony’s caricature, this is also at the framing shop. I will share both Tony's drawing and the framed print in a future blog.
I came upon a foot-long tube, tightly rolled in old newspaper. As I unrolled it I was taken aback when I read the crumpled headline:
Irma sobre Cuba
What? No, the story wasn’t about me; it was about the impending hurricane expected to hit the island. The publication was Juventud rebelde, the Cuban newspaper of the Young Communist League. Although Cuba is no stranger to hurricanes, the story in the September issue explained the measures being taken by the government in anticipation of Irma’s arrival. Hurricane Irma made landfall on September 7, 2017, and its 165 mph winds caused extensive damage to the island. It was the strongest hurricane (Category 5) to hit Cuba since 1925.
I was sorry that I didn’t have the entire newspaper, as there were other stories related to the hurricane. One was about the potential damage it could cause in Havana, especially to the beautiful old buildings along the Malecon. Hurricane Irma caused extensive damage to Havana and other parts of the island. During our time in Cuba, people often pointed to buildings and areas the hurricane had harmed.
An opinion piece on the second page was intact (if wrinkled), where the writer reflected on the concerns of everyday people awaiting an unknown but potentially devastating natural disaster – a reminder that we have no control over Mother Nature. In times like these, she says, (I’m summarizing) our thoughts turn to family, friends, and community near and far. Those at one end of the island worry about those at the other; people living inland worry about those along the water and about Havana, a city that has lived through so much history.
Cubans worried about their relatives in the United States, who were also on Hurricane Irma's path. The writer noted that we cling to that inexplicable "theory of the soul" that nothing protects us more than being with our loved ones. She closes with this thought: the piece's text provided in Spanish, followed by my own (hopefully good enough) translation.
“Por ahora, el deseo más fuerte es uno solo: que Irma no haga estragos entre los dos mares que amenaza. Lo más importante, lo que no podemos negar es que -- no importa lo que diga Meteorología -- nunca hay categoría más poderosa que la que alcanza el huracán del amor.”
“For now, the strongest wish is only one: that Irma does not wreak havoc between the two threatening seas. The most important thing, what we cannot deny is that - no matter what the Meteorologists say - there is no category more powerful than the reach of the hurricane of love.”
Sending love and good wishes to you and yours as we turn the page to a New Year.
Very evovcative pièce. Thanks for the reflections.