Juan Carlos Galeano

Kites

Because we lacked paper to make kites, we flew our windows.
The windows with their white aprons told us what they saw.
But the Indians who saw our windows flying had neither house nor windows
to fly, let alone a kite.
It was only natural that the Indians would want to fly something.
In exchange for rotten fish, the circling vultures let strings be tied
around their necks and served as kites for the Indians.

Translated from the Spanish by Angela Ball