I owe the USA so much I wouldn’t know where to begin: Madison took me in and became my second home. That doesn't mean I'm oblivious to its place in the world and the problems and conflicts that arise from it. This poem, a pacifist manifesto, published a couple of years ago in Mobius: The Journal for Social Change, was borne out of that contradiction: I started cutting out the Declaration of Independence of 1776 and realized, in the process, that many of the indignities denounced at the time were now being inflicted on the world and its own population. So here you go, “A Ration of America”, a poem in which the world announces its independence from the USA, with a tongue-in-cheek ending:) American Notebook wishes you the best for the coming year and many years to come...
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Tengo tanto que
agradecer a Estados Unidos que no sabría por donde empezar: Madison me acogió y
se ha convertido en mi segundo hogar. Eso no significa que ignore el lugar que ocupa en el
mundo y los problemas y conflictos que provoca. Este poema, un manifiesto
pacifista, publicado hace un par de años en Mobius: The Journal for
Social Change, nació de esa contradicción: empecé a recortar la Declaración de Independencia de 1776
y me di cuenta, en el proceso, de que muchas de las indignidades denunciadas entonces, estaban
siendo impuestas, hoy en día, sobre el mundo y su propia población. Así que ahí va, “Una
ración de América”, un poema en el que el mundo anuncia su independencia de
EEUU, con un final algo burlón:) Cuaderno Americano les desea lo mejor para el
año próximo y los muchísimos años que vendrán...
A Ration of America
[Cut-out Poem from the United States Declaration of Independence]
When in the Course of human events
one People dissolve the Other
to assume the powers of Nature,
Mankind requires separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident:
that all men are, that Life, Liberty and Happiness
are transient and accordingly, while evils are sufferable,
when a long train of abuses evinces Despotism
it is their duty to throw off such Tyranny.
To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a world:
Laws utterly neglect people, call together bodies
for the sole purpose of Annihilation,
endeavor to prevent the Naturalization of Foreigners,
obstruct Justice by establishing
Standing Armies superior to Civil power,
protecting them from punishment
for any Murders which they should commit
on the Inhabitants of the world,
imposing taxes on us
an Arbitrary government
has plundered seas, ravaged Coasts, burnt towns
and destroyed the lives of people,
at this time transporting Armies of Mercenaries
to compleat works of death, desolation, cruelty
and perfidy paralleled in the most barbarous ages,
totally worthy of executioners.
Our repeated Petitions have been answered
only by repeated injury. Wanting Peace
we, therefore, ate America,
in General Congress, Assembled.
To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a world:
Laws utterly neglect people, call together bodies
for the sole purpose of Annihilation,
endeavor to prevent the Naturalization of Foreigners,
obstruct Justice by establishing
Standing Armies superior to Civil power,
protecting them from punishment
for any Murders which they should commit
on the Inhabitants of the world,
imposing taxes on us
an Arbitrary government
has plundered seas, ravaged Coasts, burnt towns
and destroyed the lives of people,
at this time transporting Armies of Mercenaries
to compleat works of death, desolation, cruelty
and perfidy paralleled in the most barbarous ages,
totally worthy of executioners.
Our repeated Petitions have been answered
only by repeated injury. Wanting Peace
we, therefore, ate America,
in General Congress, Assembled.
("A Ration of America" first appeared in Mobius: The Journal of Social Change (http://mobiusmagazine.com), vol. 22 nº 3, 2011, [USA])
Cuaderno Americano by Marcos Neroy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
