Here is a man
Born out of contradictions
Wealth and religion
Amidst the quagmire of poverty
Conflict of classes
Here is a man
Who savored the bitter juice
Of sugar cane
But was nourished
By the sweet nectar
Of the sacadas’ sweat*
Here is a man
Who shed his pristine robe
Of hosannas and incantations
That hypnotized the brethren to servitude
And clothed himself
With the red flag of struggle
Here is a man
Who rejected the life of nothingness
And found comfort
of body and soul
In the justness of his conviction
Here is a man
Who traversed the plains and mountains
Of our people’s suffering and adversity
And drew a perfect map
Of a human heart
Here is a man
Who clashed with the titans of his beginning
Undaunted by the might they unleashed
For he is with the masses
Metamorphosed in their midst
To a people’s comrade
trusted and beloved
*Sacada: seasonal sugar farm worker