Veronica Corona                                                                       Rhetoric April 22, 2002 "Colibri": An Inspirational Poem           Martin Espada is known as a political poet.  If you go deeper into Espada's work you will find it projects not only a political message but a message of hope and the beauty of human nature.  In his poem "Colibri," Espada expresses the cruelty of history and the beauty of human nature.  Espada explains in an interview "that, in spite of everything, we are as human beings still capable of being gentle, still capable of kindness, of generosity. Given the cruelty of history, there is virtually no reason in the world any of us should have those qualities. Yet they persist" (qtd. in Ratiner).           "Colibri" is one of Espada's most beautiful poems.  It depicts the cruel nature of Spanish conquerors and the beauty of the capture and saving of a tiny hummingbird. In "Colibri," Espada compares the hummingbird to the "racing Taino heart frantic as if hearing / the bellowing god of gunpower for the first time" (10-11). "Colibri" is also based on an experience Espada had with his wife while on their honeymoon.  They were staying in Jayuya in an old converted hacienda, a bed-and-breakfast.  As they came out of their room, they found a hummingbird trapped in the hallway. The bird was crazy, smacking off the walls, desperate to get out. Espada's wife managed to calm the bird and get her hands around it. While she did that, Espada pushed open a window, and she pushed the bird out.  Espada describes a scene of mercy as his inspiration for "Colibri":                     The whole scene to me was so miraculous, I knew I'd eventually write about it, but                     it took a while before I found the context for the poem which was simply the ghosts                     of that place. Fifteen minutes from that spot you could go to a place called la piedre                     escrita, literally "the written rock," where you can see the carvings left behind by the                     Ta'ino Indians who had been there when the Spanish arrived and were quickly                     disposed of by them. The Spanish, in conquering the Taino, did it by slaughtering                     them with swords and cannon but also did it by taking away their culture, their                     language, changing the names of everything. So what the poem deals with is that                     legacy of conquest. And the poem ends with a tribute to my wife, really, but a                     tribute to all people who are kind, and wishing that the world were that way. (Qtd.                     in Ratiner)           "Colibri" is a very hopeful poem.  Espada believes that despite how cruel humans have been to each other historically, there are a few people that exist that can cup the hummingbird and set him free:                     The colibri becomes pure stillness,                     seized in the paralysis of the prey,                     when your hands cup the bird                     and lift him through the red shutters of the window,                     where he disappears into a paradise of sky,                     a nightfall of singing frogs.                     If only history were like your hands. (12-18)            Espada's poetry reveals hope and beauty as well as the cruelty of human nature and history. Santa Aris, author of  "Inside the World of Latino Traveling Cultures: Martin Espada's Poetry of Rebellion," explains the significance of Espada's poetry: "In his poems the social text, inspired by the images, stories, experiences, and clashes with other migrant histories, is as important as the artifice, the calculated word, the images that unravel a myriad of meanings." Espada is a phenomenal poet whose talent exceeds many others.  His poems express inspirational messages to all mankind.  Espasa's explanation for this optimism is this: "The reason I have hope, and this is one of the hopeful poems in the collection, is that people like that still exist. That, in spite of everything, we are as human beings still capable of being gentle, still capable of kindness, of generosity" (qtd. in Ratiner). Sources Cited Aris, Santa. "Inside the World of Latino Traveling Cultures: Martin Espada's Poetry of           Rebellion." Bilingual Review 21 (1996): 231. Espada, Martin. "Colibri." 12 Apr. 2002 <http://geocities.com/SouthBeach/           Boardwalk/9812/colibri.html>. Ratiner, Steven. "Martin Espada: Poetry and Burden of History." UMASS Press. 14 Apr.           2002  <www.umass.edu/umpress>.