{"id":4002,"date":"2023-09-14T01:30:46","date_gmt":"2023-09-14T01:30:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/writers-house-review\/?page_id=4002"},"modified":"2023-11-27T00:12:29","modified_gmt":"2023-11-27T00:12:29","slug":"past-the-hills-and-over-the-mountains-three-poems","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/writers-house-review\/past-the-hills-and-over-the-mountains-three-poems\/","title":{"rendered":"Past the Hills and Over the Mountains (Three Poems)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Javier Correoso<\/em><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

I: An Open Letter<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dear Mother,<\/p>\n

Your ungrateful sons have stepped<\/p>\n

All over you, with little care.<\/p>\n

Your body lies atrophied on account of neglect.<\/p>\n

Our father abandoned us all years ago.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dear Island,<\/p>\n

The Caribbean Sun is hot enough,<\/p>\n

So much that the palm trees sway and sigh,<\/p>\n

Like I do, when we receive its heat,<\/p>\n

And the hot breeze makes you cry out gently, sweating.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dear Tropics,<\/p>\n

You, the tropical being.<\/p>\n

Why is it that they can think of<\/p>\n

The State, Tobacco, Rum, History,<\/p>\n

Manhood, Violence, Hate,<\/p>\n

When you are the one bleeding?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I am writing to you now,<\/p>\n

With love and regret,<\/p>\n

Your son.<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

II: Murmur<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the soft murmur of the blue night<\/p>\n

My loneliness uncoiled and let me breathe<\/p>\n

For once.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And I laugh,<\/p>\n

And the echoes laugh,<\/p>\n

And the white Moon laughs;<\/p>\n

Indifferent to my solitude.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And as I breathe the cold air of the night,<\/p>\n

As the murmurs end<\/p>\n

Around me,<\/p>\n

In my slumber,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I dream of distant days<\/p>\n

And distant friends<\/p>\n

And distant ways,<\/p>\n

Come to an end.<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

III: Past The Hills and Over The Mountains<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Past the hills,<\/p>\n

Santiago lies stagnant;<\/p>\n

The city that saw my youth\u2013 forgotten\u2013sleeps.<\/p>\n

Disquiet lays dormant inside the houses;<\/p>\n

The paint crumbles, the people crumble,<\/p>\n

The buildings I once thought steep.<\/p>\n

I ask myself: Had they always looked so old?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Over the mountains,<\/p>\n

The empty waterfront<\/p>\n

Mocks our dreams.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a light tower in Havana<\/p>\n

Erected on the rocky coastline.<\/p>\n

It overlooks the long beaches.<\/p>\n

A ray of sun pierces the green fields.<\/p>\n

The perpetuity of the salty waves<\/p>\n

Corrodes the jagged rocks.<\/p>\n

The Caribbean sighs quietly to itself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Across the sea,<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a continent we aren\u2019t part of.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a Pan-American dream we\u2019ve been written out of.<\/p>\n

We lay in abandon.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a country within ninety miles.<\/p>\n

United and massive.<\/p>\n

States.<\/p>\n

Against us\u2013<\/p>\n

At least that\u2019s what they told us.<\/p>\n

Everyone finds themselves hoping;<\/p>\n

We sail off like madmen for that Dream.<\/p>\n

We sail off like madmen<\/p>\n

Dreaming\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Beyond the shores,<\/p>\n

The Sun sets behind me<\/p>\n

And the Moon hasn\u2019t risen yet.<\/p>\n

Neon signs light my night.<\/p>\n

This is fine for now.<\/p>\n

This is fine.<\/p>\n

But I hope we can at least see the Sun<\/p>\n

As it rises tomorrow.<\/p>\n

We find ourselves crying<\/p>\n

Awake.<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

Javier Correoso, <\/strong>class of 2025, is pursuing a double major in English and political science. He writes, \u201cI was born in Cuba and have lived in the United States since 2013. My greatest passions include learning and studying languages and world history. I play the drums and love playing all kinds of music with friends. I like to read in my free time and watch movies, but I also like going out. I also enjoy working out.<\/p>\n

Javier wrote these poems as part of a short poetry collection he submitted for a Harlem Renaissance course with Doctor Owens.\u00a0 The collection is titled Past the Hills and Over the Mountains.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Javier Correoso   I: An Open Letter   Dear Mother, Your ungrateful sons have stepped All over you, with little care. Your body lies atrophied on account of neglect. 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