Spain

When I was young,
the only piece of literature I had
was an atlas of Spain.
 
All with its breath taking depiction
of football stadia,
bull fights festivals,
guitar concerts in Madrid and Granada.
Blue skies above Barcelona, Cartagena and
Pamplona.
 
Exquisite places where cows graze in a field
beside a road,
beside a signboard pointing to Zaragoza.
 
I want to travel to Spain,
and when people talk to me
I want to tell them; sorry I don’t speak Spanish,
for that, is a revolutionary act.

Antreka Tladi was born in Jane Furse, Limpopo. He grew up in Phokwane, Brooklyn, Republic of South Africa where he received his primary and secondary education and currently lives. His poems have appeared in local and international anthologies and journals including the Avbob Poetry Project, Calabash Literary Journal, New Coin and the Otherwise Engaged Literature and Art Journal among others. His debut collection of poetry titled Mother’s Kitchen and Other Places was published in 2023.


Image by Mathias Reding