Earle Birney comments on Cartagena

In "Cartegena de Indias, 1962," Earle Birney, the Canadian poet, 
(see my blog posts Oct 9 - 12 of 2013) 
walks through a tropical market and sees himself through South American eyes, that is, incredibly rich, a tourist from outer space. Yet the inhabitants of "this rancid disarray" love and honour their local poet Luis Carlos Lopez. The Canadian poet says, "I …am seldom read by my townsmen," envies Luis Carlos Lopez, and loves the people whom he celebrated:

“I love the whole starving,

cheating,

poetry-reading,

lot of you.     

Most of all

for  throwing  me  the  shoes  of  deadman

Luis

to walk me back

into your brotherhood”

"deadman Luis" is Luis Carlos Lopez, and Earle Birney refers to the poem "A mi ciudad nativa" talked about in yesterday's blogpost.