Milton Lopez is a 5-year-old Nicaraguan who was seriously injured in a contra mortar attack. The Diocese of Tucson is developing a fund to bring Milton and other victims of the war in Nicaragua to the United States for medical treatment.
-- The Editors
Who will speak my words now and ask my questions?
I have no words to tell my story,
but there must be a way to make the world listen
even though I am five years old
and speak only Spanish
if I could speak,
but I am missing half of my jaw.
Who will speak my words now and ask my questions?
My family is poor
and with those who were starving
went to cut coffee in the mountains
where fighting began before I was born.
The scream of mortars was not known to us before I fell
slower than the rest
and not as slow as the fire against my face.
Who will speak my words now and ask my questions?
We live surrounded by black plastic and soldiers
waiting for an end to war.
I would like to play with friends,
but who would laugh and yell for me?
Now I stay inside and listen to the others
and the northern winds.
Who will speak my words now and ask my questions?
When was the decision made
that I would never shout with joy or anger
and sing psalms in church or disturb the priest's homily
and whisper secrets to someone?
What were you thinking
when you fired the shells
when you shipped the weapons
and when you signed the order
that destroyed all the words I want to speak
and all the questions I need to ask?
Who will speak my words now and ask my questions?
Words are abundant in your land
painted on billboards selling your future
scrawled on walls in the night when no one can see.
Words are wasted in your land
filling your shelves and libraries and forgotten
reporting to you from my land and wrapped around your garbage.
Who will speak my words now and ask my questions?
I am not a debate.
I will never be called upon to testify before Congress
or give my opinion on Firing Line.
I am not a story.
I will never be interviewed by The New York Times
or relate my experiences on Nightline.
I am a prayer.
Who will speak my words now and ask my questions?
Nicaragua 1987
Timothy R. Nonn was a community organizer for the Office for Hispanic Affairs of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson when this poem appeared.
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