CUBA, MY CUBA WHO HAS NEVER BEEN THERE

Travis Stephens

Say Bay of Pigs and imagine a thatched roof sandy paradise landing like MacArthur going ashore in the Philippines, that prick, that liar, when in reality the Bay is lined with mansions plus a public dock where they hung big gamefish once upon a time. Louis L’Amour grinning while brown men stand aside to open the fins like a señorita’s skirt, her half-hearted attempts to keep the men close to home and not in Havana among the whores, or at the bars drinking brown rum from a coconut cup building another reason to carry an Ak-47 out toward slow boats coming ashore, stand and fire into the endless breakers.

Say Cubano and I think, sure, make me one too, imagine cigar wrapper girls where the children used to be, ride a ’57 DeSoto with a machine gun clamped to the roof, ride past the statue of Christopher Columbus or the last rusted chunk of the MAINE stuck in the lobby where the shoe shine stand used to be, next to a row of slot machines stretching to the suit of armor said to fit the brave fools of 1620.

Say Cubano and make me a ham sandwich, let me eat it and not be watched by stray dogs, bright-eyed children or bearded soldiers out for a good time. Dress me in fatigues instead of black lace. Shake my rosary as a maraca, blow me like a trumpet after hours. When they turn on the lights please tell me who you’ve come for if it isn’t for me.

Travis Stephens is a tugboat captain who lives and works with his family in California. His book of poetry, “skeeter bit & still drunk” was published by Finishing Line Press. 

Art: Yongxi (Vivian) Lin is an illustrator and printmaker based in New York. She completed her undergraduate studies in Illustration at the School of Visual Arts and is currently pursuing Printmaking at Pratt Institute. Her work often blends illustration and printmaking, exploring themes of personal narrative, emotional storytelling, and cultural hybridity. Through her art, she reflects both visible joys and hidden struggles, creating imagery that is playful yet thoughtful.