to my wife
aleida,
i leave you with
a kiss.
go to the children’s room,
share with them
this:
tell them their
daddy loves them,
tell them to grow
up strong,
but in the arms
of a revolution is where i belong.
from the hills
of argentina
to the shores of
havana,
from the congo
river basin
to the cuban settin’
sun,
heavy is the
jungle, heavy is my gun,
oh, it’s the
weight of your heart dear
burdens me here.
now I’m as
sturdy as a tree,
patient as a
knight,
i’m as scared as
south america as she puts up her fight
but you’re as lovely as a dream,
as distant as a
wish,
and this rebel
blood pulsin’ through me is cold,
in your absence.
my lungs are
shallow
and my feet won’t
carry me through this
long, red night.
i salute you lenin,
praise to you
marx,
three cheers for
china when this consciousness embarks.
i surrender i,
in the name of
we.
and to my wife
aleida, i leave you
this country.