Fieldworkers: takes hard work, my father’s be-father / to save your soil
my other’s be-other / to sync your psyche, my younger’s be-younger
to solo your path
Chorus: túmbala poeta
túmbala the mind
túmba l’undulating
lenguas you can’t find - am -
Poet: i / the other if
you’re / a -
live - are
you / the other am -
i the i
Chorus: túmbala poeta
túmbala palabra
túmbala promesa
túmbala mañana
tryin’ to be the people
’tween a border - isn’t
tryin’ to free the people
’tween a former word - can you -
Poet: switch / your English
tongue / to
drum - the
glitch / you finish the
fissure’s son
Chorus: symbolize d’vision
symbolize d’cision
symbolize a’vision
symbolize i’gnition
túmbala cañita
túmbala casita
túmbala palmera
túmbala fascista
túmbala poeta
campa no’isaida
túmbala yoricua
yunca la compay - do -
Poet: i / portray the
why / you
fear - do
you / forsake the -
why - you hear
Fieldworkers: gonna swing m’machete, sing a’zucar man field / gonna
shine m’forever
sing a’zucar man field / gonna blind m’forever, sing a’zucar man field
gonna find m’forever / sing a’zucar man field
Chorus: túmbala palabra
sí sí - voca’seeker
túmba’mericana
sí sí sí - the higher
túmbala poeta
sí sí sí - the ride
túmba l’undulating
lenguas you can’t hide - your -
Poet: mind / a field your
rise / a
fight - your
light / among a
million lives
Chorus: túmbalize a lingo
lingualize arrival
túmbalize a people
lingualize a right
túmbala poeta
túmbala palabra
túmba jibarito
túmbala all night - but i -
Poet: got / to go i
got / to
glide - on
my / erasure
one more time - i leave / you
with / this
one more / high
- in the -
grand / we of
things / we
choose - do we
stand / to be of
things - we lose
Copyright © 2024 by Edwin Torres. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on December 26, 2024, by the Academy of American Poets.
