PARADISE

In paradise people smile at you,

although salaries don’t cover their needs.

In paradise there are swimming pools and oceans.

I get a towel, you dry off in the heat.

In paradise time doesn’t matter.

Your life is just hard work and dreams.

In paradise there are cars and bare feet.

I get a driver, you walk the streets.

In paradise tourists glance at market stalls.

«Come to my shop and buy some tea».

In paradise there are wild animals.

You die with them,  I  go on a safari along the creek.

In paradise you can’t go to sleep at night time,

but I get mosquito nets and sheets.

Karibu to paradise!

 Inma Álvarez

This poem was written in the Tube in Madrid on 9 March 2013 immediately after a visit to Tanzania.

Poema escrito en el Metro de Madrid el 9 marzo 2013 inmediatamente después de una visita a Tanzania.