WAITING TO GROW UP

Apparently while I was gone,

my death from smallpox was announced

in the newspaper, so when I reappear,

Bernarda and all my family and friends

are so relieved that they forgive

the rumors of my scandalous

behavior.

By now, Nicaragua has a new president

who grants me a dull secretarial job

that allows plenty of free time

for writing poems and stories.

What is there to say about feeling suspended

between childhood and maturity?

Each day is a road of dreams

leading toward my future—adult liberty.