God said to the andean people:
“Guard the leaves with much love and when
you feel the sting of pain in your heart,
hunger in your body
and darkness in your mind…
take them to your mouth and softly, draw up
its spirit which is part of mine…..”
You will find love for your pain
food for your body and light for your mind
Further more, watch the leaves dance with the wind
and you will find answers to your queries.
But if your torturer, who come from the North
the white conqueror, the gold seeker, should touch it
he will find in it only…
poison for his body
and madness for his mind
for his heart is so callous as his steel and iron garment
And when the COCA, which is how you will call it,
attempts to soften his feelings
it will only shatter him
as the icy crystals born in the clouds
crack the rocks, demolish mountains. …
Free adaptation by Jorge Hurtado G. from the book of Antonio Diaz Villamil.