What I etched


I etched the essence of your soul
on silvery walks around lakes,
rivers and oceans, apparently calm,
till the storms would unleash again
those fears and uncertainties that cloud
distant horizons of our lost freedom
that we hope to recover one of these days.
And then I knew your soul was as rebellious as mine.
You were that cheerful magician with strange cards
or that musician also on the occupied streets
who played the accordion for us while singing,
sweet tender yet firm voice, or the one who played
the little guitar or the saxophone, no matter, no,
no matter if you had lost the sight of one eye
because of a rubber bullet shot by the Spanish police
during the peaceful referendum of October 1, 2017.
You were any of the over one thousand injured, humiliated,
any of those non-violent voters on that memorable day.
You were any of our political prisoners awaiting
today’s start of the greatest absurdity… the trial!
You were any of the exiles and prosecuted artists.
And for that reason, only for that reason,
because I cannot think of any other one,
I etched the essence of your soul
on the silvery walks of my life
to remind me of the purpose of this journey,
a journey to defend freedom, democracy and human rights.

© February 2019 Marta Pombo Sallés

Published by MOMENTS

48 thoughts on “What I etched”

  5. Powerful imagery and words throughout your poem Marta. Tenacity and endurance of our beliefs, sometimes require sacrifice for the freedom of others. Beautifully written.

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  6. A powerful poem Marta.
    I can feel for it as at this very moment my home state of Assam {in India) is in turmoil. No, not seeking independence but fighting to preserve its distinct identity from onslaught of immigrants helped and used by successive ruling parties for their vote bank.
    “uncertanties” – I think you meant uncertainties.

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    1. Keep your fight non-violent and inclusive. We want to preserve our Catalan identity, language and culture by means of a not ethnically driven movement. We want a project everyone feels heard and included.
      And thanks for telling me about the typo. Will change this ASAP.

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  8. This merge of nature with the ideals of freedom and democracy is a stellar Martha. I can see that rebel in you trying to walk past the storms and strive for the independence which you and your people truly deserve. In this case I can make out it has to do with atrocities of Spanish on Catalonia. I hope and pray for the dignity and independence of your people !

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  9. Wow, you take my breath away with your words, so sad, but true, and so powerfull, and you are so brave into my eyes. I almoust can feel your felings in every word you write, thank you for sharing, and something is important to you and you fight for🦋keep on the good work🦋
    (My English is not so good, but I hope you understand what I say and mean)
    Love from Norway -Orkidedatter-

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    1. Tusen takk, I love your comment! Your English is fine because I got your message. English is not my native tongue either; it is Catalan. I learned English as a third language. Also sending you love from Catalonia. – Marta

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    1. Thank you, Stella. You ae also a great writer. You have no idea how I appreciate your feedback and, even more, the way you are also supporting my friend Mario. This really feels me with joy. Cheers – Marta

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    1. Thanks. Your comment means a lot to me. The current political situation in Catalonia is hard. It breaks my heart to see innocent people jailed who are peaceful leaders and politicians democratically elected. Self-determination is every people’s right according to the United Nations. It is not a crime. Who would say we would have political prisoners in 21st century Europe? There was no violence on the independence referendum of October 1, 2017 coming from all these falsely accused people. We voters were not violent either. The only violence came from the Spanish police. The Spanish government has removed its mask to show it is no real democracy. Our political prisoners are innocent and this trial is a complete farce. I need to write about this and tell the world. I am glad this poem is being appreciated by so many of you. I feel our voices heard. Thank you again!

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  17. I think it is so much more than just the exquisite and thoughtful and yes, powerful writing. I think it is important that you got this message out to so many of us. I have not heard nor read in our papers or on our local news stations anything at all about what is going on here, and that makes me more distressed than I can say. The fact that so much is hidden from us and we are given to read and to watch on TV only the things that someone else unknown to me or to most of us decides that we should know about. Your country is just as important as any place in this world, and yet, I am ashamed to say, prior to this, I honestly had read nothing. No wonder the politicians of the world are so able to control us all. We hear only what they want us to hear and see only that which they want us to hear.

    I live in Southern California, and I have become very despondent watching any news on TV or even reading it in the paper. Journalism is support to report FACTS and to be unbiased, but that is not what exists. We frequently find that someone will write something in a post such as this, and suddenly we are aware of it for the first time. I am so truly tired of this in our world. And I so agree with what you are saying. One of my true women heroes is Aung San Suu Ky of Myanmar. One day I saw this photo of her and a story, though prior to that time, I had only bits and pieces of the news about her country. As I looked at her tiny and very delicate figure, I became aware of the magnitude of what she was doing. I ended up making a piece of fiber art of her and I was not able to finish quilting it, but someday I will do a bit of rearranging and stitch it up. I had cancer and I am 77. It took a lot out of me and I was unable to do much art after that time, plus I suffer from severe PTSD from some highly traumatic events that happened to me. But if I were a little younger and stronger, I would likely be a freedom fighter too because I believe truly that if we sit back and let things happen because of our fears or failure to notice, our world as we know it will be gone, and we may well too. Thank you for addressing this. (I really appreciate you and all that you have to say.) You are an amazing and articulate lady and I think using poetry or any other form of artistic expression is an excellent way to address issues that relate to any political things that threaten our freedom. The reason is that art allows people to open their minds and to appreciate the words and the art, but at the same time, the message gets into their consciousness without them becoming defensive about it. Thank you for sharing this for me, and I am so truly glad that I learned of you and the things you are going through. You have managed your message in the best of ways.

    Oh, P.S. When you see a like that has no photo, etc., that is me. Somehow WordPress does not understand that I not only manage my own blog, but that of a paraplegic friend. Her home and all her art and belongings recently was destroyed completely in one of the most disastrous fires in California for many years; it destroyed the entire town of Paradise, CA. It was another of those things that was not covered by the TV stations and the papers as we had more local ones in Southern California so we did not hear about the one in Paradise. Another example of the way even the smaller, and supposedly nonpolitical issues get lost in the newscasts. Thank you kindly.

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    1. Yes, news are being biased wordwide. Donald Trump has created a great school of fake news. I am glad I was able to articulate the message in my poem. The Catalonia conflict with Spain or, better put, with the Spanish state is still unkown to many. Spain apparently looks like any other EU democratic nation but it is not so. You will not hear anything of the progressive involution into an authoritarian regime. The Francoist lion was asleep and now the beast is awakening. The masks have fallen. Since we have only a few political prisoners, exiles and prosecuted artists but not thousands or millions of dead people, almost no news appears.

      My friend Mario also lives in California, in the Bay Area close to San Francisco. I visited him and another friend on two occasions durring my summer school vacation. Mario visited my husband and me last summer and we will probably visit him again this summer.

      We heard a lot about the fires and Paradise. It is so good you are helping your paraplejic friend with her blog after all she has gone through.

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