She is free at last of the pain of his
imprisonment, that imprisoned her too
because he was her son, because she was
his mother. When they put him in a cage,
they put her in a cage also: a cage
of pain, but never of rage or despair;
where her song remained loud and true, and proud
that he was her son, who would be allowed
to return one day to her strong embrace.
She set her face in determination
that he would come home; that the grace of God
would prevail; that their jail could not hold him
for ever; that he would be free at last
one day. It will not come to pass that way
for her now - but now she is free at last
of the waiting, the anticipating
and the frustrating of each fresh attempt
to secure his release. She is released
from all that, and now the door of her cage
can never be closed again. She will sing
in his heart for ever. And they call her
the mother of Gerardo Hernández,
but he knows that truly he is her son,
son of Carmen Nordelo Tejera:
la Canaria, libre por último.

Tony Walton
Nov. 4, 2009