I think this was your plan

I think this was your plan all along,
Fidel you sly dog.
50 years in the wilderness,
Your Exodus and baptism,
And now your Cuba gets to rise again,
With you as its Moses and your trusty sidekick
Raul playing the part of Aaron.
God only knows, you need no Miriam,
Not with your Latin machismo and storied beard.

History is finally ready to absolve you,
Fidel you sly dog.
Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing
You convinced the world your bark was as bad as your bite.
How many plots did you foil Fidel,
How many schemes did you outlive?
You sent your outcasts to our capitalist shores
And waited half a century for your flowers to bloom.

Shelves are being emptied in tobacco shops,
Fidel you sly dog,
Making room for the rolled tropical wonder you’ll soon send our way,
Auto factories are readying parts for ‘57 Fords.
Mexico is starting to worry,
Puerto Rico is beginning to sweat,
After all, they have no Hemmingway connections,
No big Havana to explore.

Dole is getting excited,
Fidel you sly dog.
They have dreams for your fresh fruit
And your sugar cane.
The Costa Nostra is readying building permits
To bring American gamblers to your beaches.
The beverage industry is designing new cocktails and stockpiling tiny umbrellas.
Michael Moore has booked passage,
He’s transferring his medical records as we speak Fidel.

Miami is prepping its paint stores,
Fidel you sly dog.
They’re mixing vibrant colors
To repaint your formerly boarded doors.
America is calling,
And you are already blocking Russia’s number
And ignoring China’s tweets.
You’ve got your victory, Fidel
The fashion industry is stretching screen prints of your face,
You’ll soon rival Che!

What will your fishing boats bring to our ports,
Fidel you sly dog.
Now that there is no need to pretend,
What seafood will you share?
When will our Army Navy Surplus stores see a sales increase in green combat fatigues, Fidel?

You’ve surely secured your legacy,
Fidel you sly dog,
You’ve conquered our borders,
You’ve convinced us of your vision,
You’ve won the silent War,
You’ve set right the Bay of Pigs
And put an entire spy industry out of business Fidel.
Fidel you sly dog.
Fidel you old dog.
Fidel you’re full of new tricks,
Fidel you had it figured all along.

 

Photography © Allison Goldin

Photography © Allison Goldin

 

David Rullo recently published a collection of poetry titled Tired Scenes From A City Window through Outskirts Press and over the last few months have been published in the Greenwich Village Literary Journal, Semaphore Magazine and Undertow.

Allison Goldin is an artist living in California. Her work is a collection of spontaneous drawings from the imagination. The most common link throughout her art are the semi-recognizable creatures scattered amongst and bringing together the surrounding doodles.