Cultivo una rosa blanca
en julio como en enero
para el amigo sincero
que me da la mano franca
y para el cruel
que me arranque el corazón
Cardo ni ortiga cultivo
Cultivo una Rosa Blanca.
Por José MartÍ
I cultivate a rose
in July as in January (Warm or cold, it matters not.)
For my sincere friend
who gives me his honest hand
and for the cruel one
Who pulls out my heart
Neither thistle nor thorn
do I cultivate.
I cultivate a white rose.
“Cultivo una rosa blanca” was written by José Martí, a patriot, poet and journalist, who fought to help liberate Cuba from Spanish rule and colonialism.
The poem, which I memorized eons ago came to me in the night as I tossed and turned to go back to sleep. Funny to have such a memory, but there is a reason for everything. Life can be a struggle and we move through it like water in a deep lake. Sometimes our movements in what ever form they should take are made without thought for the repercussions, or waves they make. Unbeknownst to ourselves, our actions and words may hinder the tender heart of someone whose silent pain we are unfamiliar with, but nonetheless our interactions are significant. We may be the honest friend at times who lends a hand or we may be the cruel friend who pulls out someone’s heart. The point of the poem is to be able to turn the other cheek and forgive, when we are the recipient of some else’s words or actions. The harder part is to realize when we are the one who causes the hurt, or anticipate it before it happens.
Pema Chodrön would say, we all need to lighten up and let it go, and act with kindness and compassion. And then there is the quote by Oscar Wilde, “morality is knowing where to draw the line.” This is a good measure to embrace, lest we should pull out the heart of someone we love, who may, or may not forgive us.
Love
On Tiffany Creek 