It won't rain, If you are not there....

These days it is very cold in Cuba. About 15 degrees at night and about 19 or 22 during the day. Anyone would say that's not cold but for those of us who live on this tropical island that is usually at a temperature reaching 30 degrees it's very cold.

So I was looking through my bookshelf, selected a book of poetry, made myself a nice tea and started reading, sometimes on the couch and sometimes in bed.

I love reading poetry so I looked for a special one "En Almería casi nunca llueve" by Alexis Díaz Pimienta. A wonderful Cuban writer. He is a writer who is at ease in any genre: novel, short story, poetry, essay. He is a researcher who has dedicated himself to retracing the paths of re-pentism and, of course, he is an excellent repentis.

This Cuban poet has dedicated his life to promote the art of improvisation, of making good poetry in Cuba and in the world. His publications are numerous, among the most important, "Theory of poetic improvisation" and "Pimienta Method for the teaching of poetic improvisation". He is also the creator of the Oralitura Academy where he teaches in-person and online courses. Oralitura Habana is characterized by its constant promotion of the décima with attractive activities for all kinds of audiences in different spaces and even in the media. Its team is made up of professionals and artists who love the décima. They organize shows of the highest level and the "Oralitura Habana" Festival because, as their slogan says, "the décima is what you use".

In Almería ... It is a collection of poems containing tenths, sonnets, free verse. In it you can appreciate the love of this Cuban for a Spanish city and perhaps for a woman named Natalia.

I love to read in his verses that kind of nostalgia. The trees, the windows, the air, are witnesses of his love. Poetry makes the distance between Havana and Almeria only what a few words of love measure.
The rain, a housecoat cease to be something common and become paths to love. Absences, encounters, nostalgia, commitment are drawn with precision in each verse.

Each poem is as good as the other . Not that I say so, the book of poems won the International Poetry Prize "Surcos" in Seville. The pages are loaded with a very fine eroticism that play with nature and make it an accomplice of love. The poem I like the most is on page 29. "Parte meteorológico"

It won't rain. If you are not there
it doesn't rain: the sky doesn't know.
If perhaps a gentle breeze
will say that you won't come anymore.
It will not rain. If you don't give
permission there will be no downpour.
If perhaps a light smell
will warn of your tardiness
and the sea will resume its dance
of foam and traveling mast.

The poem written in tenths is longer but here I leave you only the first tenth to leave the sweet taste in your heart and look for the book to read it in its entirety. I adorned its pages with wild flowers cut in my yard. Although these verses do not need anything else to enjoy them, I wanted to add the color of wild flowers to the beautiful emotion they made me feel when I read them.

The book I have has yellow pages. It was printed 20 years ago and I found it on a shelf at the Book Fair last year for a paltry 3 pesos. So much pleasure for so little money, it is true that the best things are priceless. Their value is incalculable.

I immediately called Alex Diaz, the author's son, whom I know, and told him that I had seen the book and he asked me to buy it for him and so I was able to give him three copies, because as soon as I commented on its beauty those who listened to me took it home.

Today I feel that my afternoon has been less cold, I was wrapped in the warmth of Alexis Díaz Pimienta's poetry. I invite you to get it and share with me your experiences of reading it.

If you are interested you can read here
The images used in the publication are my property taken with my Xiaomi Redmi 12C cell phone.
English translation by Deepl Translate.