The material demonstration before your eyes, the tangible realization that becomes the prize.

On April 26th to May 3rd, I embarked on the May Day Brigade in Cuba, accompanied by fellow brigadistas (most notably the Venceremos Brigade / though I attended The May Day brigade) from around the world. Sponsored and organized by The National Network on Cuba. This transformative journey has reshaped and continues to transform me in ways I never imagined. While I was confident in the changes I would undergo, I couldn’t have anticipated the depth and intensity of these transformations, which have only grown stronger with each passing day. I returned only 17-18 days ago, beginning to unwind the events that marked my 33rd year on this planet!

The number 3 has always held a special place in my heart. It’s often referred to as the ‘magic’ number, symbolizing repetition in the three dimensions of space: solid, liquid, and gas; protons, neutrons, and electrons; setup, confrontation, and resolution. While I’ve always felt a connection to the number 3, I must admit that when it’s paired with its own, it resonates with me on a deeper level. I’m 33 until I reach a higher number, and this cycle continues indefinitely. Our ages are like the pages of our existence, and the search for meaning only deepens with each experience.

We spent a week in Cuba, with some extending their stay for two weeks. One of the first profound realizations I had after only three days there was that time seemed to stand still. I, along with a few other comrades, chose not to bring our phones on this trip. I approached this experience similarly to my Vipassina (silent retreat) three years ago. For 10 days, I didn’t have a phone, notepad, or anything else except myself and my eyes. However, this time was different because I was surrounded by my comrades. One of them, Comrade Patrick, gifted me a notebook on the fourth day, which allowed me to capture a few fleeting sketches as the days progressed.

Having a sketchbook proved useful for jotting down crucial action items to prevent memory lapses, as we both know. Relying solely on fleeting conversations in your ‘dome’ would leave you feeling disconnected and lost from ‘home’. I kept my writing concise and ambiguous, primarily using it to maintain contact with the people I connected with. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to document things; I simply wanted to immerse myself in the present moment without the constant distraction of the internet. Even now, as I reflect on this, the word “TRANSFORMATION” keeps resonating in my mind: TRANSFORMED, TRANSFORMING. In any sense of the word, change begins and unfolds while it has already occurred.

It’s one thing to read extensively about change and study revolutions worldwide. (However to see these same principles demonstrated and made real in the material conditions in which they exist is awe inspiring.) In fact, this very act is crucial for enhancing political education. Researching the histories of nations that gained independence, such as Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, José Martí, Celia Sánchez, Juan Gualberto Gómez, and Camilo Cienfuegos, and many others who dedicated their lives to the people of Cuba, is inspiring. Studying the tools of revolution and their historical context fuels the spirit of those seeking justice. Delving into the resistance movements that have fought against the Cuban people since their independence in 1959 is particularly poignant. The economic blockade imposed on Cuba is genocidal and has had a devastating impact, cutting off essential supplies like medicine, produce, energy, and anything else that could provide aid to the people. This deliberate act of violence aims to erode the dignity and courage of the masses.

The United States spends millions of dollars on propaganda campaigns aimed at undermining the success of the Cuban revolution. They ensure that popular social media platforms like Meta, X, and others disseminate anti-socialist messages. Their objective is revisionism, manipulation, and fear tactics. This tactic is as old as time, as no matter what they say, they cannot suppress the power and resilience of the Cuban people.

The Cuban people are educated, as one of the first programs of the revolution was a literacy campaign. They understand that people need to read and have a fundamental understanding of the conditions under socialism and capitalism.

The limitations I have placed on myself are quickly dispelled when I consider the examples in Cuba. There is no scarcity in any true sense of the word. In Cuba there is 100% Free Healthcare and education. They don’t scoff at the delirious question asked often in the United Snakes of Amerikka / “How are they paying for it?” Even with this blockade, sanctions, and a plethora of legal restrictions placed on the people of Cuba – they meet the needs of the people instead of profits!

I have everything that is already visible, even before considering what comes next. Whatever we have is merely sufficient. We were told to push beyond our growing edge. To treat everyone there as person and not insult people just because they may differ in opinion or approach. This is a battle of ideas, we don’t combat people, we resist ideas that don’t serve our community and objective of a socialist world. We are students, constantly in the state of learning. None of us have arrived at some grand perfect place, this is a protracted struggle. We were expected to check in with our comrades, making sure they and ourselves were alright. Cuba was very hot for most of the trip, while I did not mind this at all – I had to be mindful to stay hydrated and take proper rests when needed. Also in Cleaning up after ourselves as we were visitors on the Camp where we stayed or anywhere else we visited. Whether it was sitting in on delegations from folks from all around the world spoke in solidarity with Cuba, visiting educational facilities which met the needs of the people. It was clear that for the Cuban people – justice not only lives in their veins, it builds on and restores on the foundation that has already been set.

Here is a video by some of the comrades in North Carolina, who were a part of the brigade summarizing some of the events that took place!

There was not a day there where I did not shed tears. My tears were due to the movement of the Cuban people. The foundation of the Cuban struggle is rooted in genuine love demonstrated for the people and by the people. As I struggle to find the right words, a poem and love letter to Cuba has come to me, framing the clarity that has risen from the flames of militant compassion! As per usual with poems for me, they are an expression of an embodied sentence. A movement that is held together by frames of moments, expressions of numbers, colors, and textures as said through the emblematic of figurative speech. Some of them will recall moments of your own walk, while others will lend a hand for you to talk with me. May you endeavor through!

::

In the misery of misinformation
regulated designation becomes the appendage of blockade ills
Featuring poisonous thrills,
in exchange for back seated IMF & World trade bank deals.
This terror of capitalist and imperialist skills manufactures consent on the daily!
Aiming to confuse the minds and hearts of the people to unbalanced and scaly /// ends.
However this cannot contest against the fire set ablaze written out to raise our insight!
a Fire that is fixed onto the horizon of deep blue waves, crashing on our legs and at the nails of our ambitions.
one with the earth. spirit. and body.
Our Souls succumbed to the realization that revolution is demonstration.
We are because our ancestors have been.
the dial of tactile winds hang us on the ropes of genuine love.
The figure of solidarity stands in shape to bake a cake in which the ingredients will make renewed, with a unified and liberated view.
The clarity of unity as seen in the faces of the youth : honesty speaks, as morning melodic roosters greets our ears to alive sensations.
Embedded within, and guided by the wind, doves landing on the tables of our inner revelations. A chalice of liberated drink, keeps us hydrated and motivated to continue Cuba’s Link (To a socialist standing, reaffirming the struggle as it’s ever expanding).
My tears harmonized with the vibrations of their soul fulfilled destiny, with the warmth extended our lanes were renamed credibly!
to A space where there is no lasting strong hold.
As told already by the whispers and SCREAMS of guided and principled assertions, reassuring movement in the sphere of collected air – selected in process via democratic votes made by all persons 3dimensional and square!
In my folded alacrity, I am answered on the ears of active listening.
Like a friend glistening / against / a smudge on your cheek, or a misstep taken when your distance climbed too high of a peak.
Cuba – a land where my heart will forever be, Cuba the transformation endlessly beginning with you and me!

Cuba Si! Blockade No!

Cuba Si! Blockade No!

Cuba Si! Blockade No!

Long Live the Cuban revolution!

viva Cuba! viva!