El Faro English publishes this poem, first released in Spanish in October 2023, on the seventh anniversary of the start of the mass uprising in Nicaragua.
Do not accept
committing acts of cruelty
in the name of the Fatherland
Do not accept one sole truth
in the name of the Fatherland
Do not accept restrictions on freedom
in the name of the Fatherland
Do not accept authoritarianism
in the name of the Fatherland
Do not accept sacrificing your children
in the name of the Fatherland
Do not accept your daughters being disrespected
in the name of the Fatherland
Do not accept the lie
in the name of the Fatherland
Do not accept repression and prison
in the name of the Fatherland
Do not accept spying on your neighbor
in the name of the Fatherland
Do not accept passing false judgements
in the name of the Fatherland
Do not accept covering up crimes
in the name of the Fatherland
Do not accept staying silent
in the name of the Fatherland
Do not accept incitement to hate
in the name of the Fatherland
You are the Fatherland
Do not forget this
in the name of the Fatherland
Gioconda Belli, 2022. Previously unpublished. Translated by Max Granger.
