Recently some published and unpublished writing from Hebert Poll Gutierrez arrived. Gutierrez, who lives in Calgary, became acquainted with RML when he attended Tertulia: Artist Book Publishing by American, Canadian, and Mexican Artists that was hosted by Vancouver Latin American Cultural Centre in April. Guiterrez describes himself this way,
I am a Cuban Canadian artist with 16 years of experience trying to connect with the world through writing and storytelling. I write for young and no so young audiences. My artistic language is clear, communicative, and even humorous, but I never forget that my commitment as a creator is to contribute to human enrichment. I believe in the power of stories, in the power of theatre to change realities. Art is and will be my strategy to defend my triple cultural identity: My identity as an artist, as a Cuban, and as an Afro-descendant…”
¿Cuba qué linda es Cuba? by Hebert Poll Gutierrez was published by Editorial Primigenios, Miami in 2020.
In exchange for a set of Ghanaian Writing on Migration and Diaspora, Gutierrez sent some samples of new writing, including this,
¿VERDADES DE UN POETA POSTCOVID?
Las máscaras del hombre
están detrás de la puerta.
Hoy tomó prestada una que lo hace viejo,
ayer se puso una con el rostro triste,
mañana seguro tomará aquella
que rompe la amargura.
El hombre de estilo propio dice no usarlas
pero cuando despierta
las ha dejado entre las sábanas.
TRUTHS OF A POSTCOVID POET?
The masks of man
are behind the door.
Today he borrowed one that makes him old,
yesterday he put on one with a sad face,
tomorrow he will surely take the one
that breaks bitterness.
The man with his style says he doesn’t wear them
but when he wakes up
he has left them between the sheets
…
