ah mulato tu dedo

ah mulato tu dedo

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

dónde lo dejaste

enredado en qué helice en qué fauce

quién lo conserva de recuerdo en un frasquito de cristal

quién lo usa para carnada con qué pescar tiburones

quién lo apoya en su barbilla para otear pelícanos y

murallas.

acaso, mulato

fue alimento de alguien que se moría de miedo en una

balsa

vadeando algún río

trepando alguna verja

cruzando algún desierto

para cambiar de identidad.

lo tiene acaso algún niñito moribundo que quiso

respirar por tu piel

mientras caía al fondo

—mantarraya de sal

las aguas andaban vivas por tu dedo.

las aguas ardían de huellas dactilar

mulato

quién te besó el dedo de cuajo

quién te lo arrancó tierno . . .

los guardacostas te levantaron casi ahogado

para meterte en el corral

y el documento ausente de tu dedo te traiciona

traspapelado

quién te toma huella ahora mulato

ah?

(click here for the English translation)

Support The Nation’s June Fundraising Campaign

With the midterm elections now firmly upon us, the question is whether Democratic candidates will do more than merely occupy ballot lines as mild alternatives to the red-hot crisis that is Donald Trump.

As Trump spends over $1 billion a day on a globally destabilizing war on Iran and admits that he doesn’t “think about Americans’ financial situation,” millions across the country are struggling with the surging costs of essentials. Democrats must seize this moment and advance bold, small-“d” populist ideas—not settle for cynical caution that once again snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.

The Nation elevates progressive ideas, movements, and elected officials achieving real change across the country into the national conversation. At the same time, our journalists are exposing how crypto and AI-funded super PACs are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to knock out candidates they oppose, reporting on the devastating impact of the Supreme Court’s evisceration of the Voting Rights Act, and sounding the alarm on attempts by red states to quickly redraw electoral maps, disenfranchising Southern Black voters.

We can play this critical role because of support from readers like you. This June, we’re raising $20,000 to power The Nation’s independent journalism in the run-up to November’s immensely consequential elections.

It’s in our power to build a more just society, and your support at this critical moment brings us closer to that bold vision. I hope you’ll donate today.

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

x