Memories of Barcelona 1938 / 2017
Robin Teese (Curtin University, Australia)
I’m sitting in a bar in Barcelona,
at a table eating tapas with Belinda.
The music’s not flamenco but a lighter
style than danced by Abuelita
before they brought the bombs to Barcelona.
I’m sitting in a bar in Barcelona,
eating tapas at a table with sangría
spilling from my lips, when she
kisses it away and in her laughter,
I forget that, here in Spain,
bombers once swooped down on Barcelona.
And in the fury of their raid, my Abuelita,
they took her as she danced the allegrias,
her head held high, her stamping feet on fire,
no longer would she dance in Barcelona.
Near a bar in Las Ramblas, a van
Is speeding round the corner,
screaming like a plane but with a roar
reminding me of slaughter
and the bombers bearing down on Barcelona.
*(Abuelita – Spanish for Gran or Nanna.)
Robin Teese has been writing poetry and fiction since 2014. He has had a number of works published, both online and in literary magazines. A dedicated linguist, Robin is fluent in French, Latin and Ancient Greek. He is also passionate about drawing and hopes one day to publish his own self-illustrated book. Robin is currently writing his first novel, as part fulfilment of a PhD at Curtin University.
