Please Don’t Say Anything

By Sara

HAVANA TIMES – What is Cuba? My friend Juan asked me two days ago. I kept quiet for a few seconds, and then between sobs and tears, he told me: “Cuba is a country of abandoned children, abandoned parents, abandoned husbands and wives. Cuba is a country of abandoned university degrees, and abandoned jobs. Cuba is a country without young people, with old people who cry and silently hope they’ll be able to see their children or grandchildren again.

Cuba is a country of emigrants… a desolate and sad country, which we are forced to leave. Cuba is our country, the country we never want to leave, but we have to in order to survive, to have a future, to help those who remain behind. Cuba is a country without hope, without dreams, or better yet, just one dream: Leave Cuba!!! That’s because other dreams can’t be whispered or become reality, they are banned or punished.

Cuba is a country enshrouded in darkness, of dry land, with animals in the street with sad eyes, the same sad eyes of our workers who earn their wages but are unable to even pay the electricity bill and never have enough to eat, much less put clothes on their back. Cubita la Bella, isn’t so beautiful anymore, it isn’t the most beautiful land human eyes have set on anymore, because it is falling to pieces, like an old abandoned house. Cuba hurts me, it hurts my soul, if only you could be Cuba again!

That said, he turned to me; I saw great pain in his eyes, I saw a farewell in his eyes: “don’t say anything please, I leave tomorrow”. That phrase hit my ears hard, one more gone. But who’s to blame? This Government? The economy?

I love you my brother. Say hello to everyone over there for me and we’ll see each other around. I wish you the very best. The best path for you.

But the worst thing about this story is that, in the not-too-distant future, I might hear again: Please don’t say anything…

Read more from the diary of Sara here.