Fandango for Cuba

THE PIANOS OF CUBA

A leg splinters and crashes sideways as Ernesto practises his
scales
A pedal support is hollowed out and now he can't play loud or
soft
The keys stick like dead men's fingers or tumble out like teeth
I hear him play sublimely on this terrible piano
And am so moved that for minutes I cannot speak

Termites are chewing through the pianos of Cuba
They find an unvarnished spot and burrow deep
Then mate and multiply and mash the instrument to bits
The wood is cheap and softened by humidity
Only the best pianos survive the blind burrowing
Only the Steinway is safe and who in Cuba can afford a Steinway?

Pianos once poured in from the United States
But Fidel's victory was followed by a 40-year blockade
The Soviet bloc once sent pianos to Cuba
But Communism has turned to dust
And Ernesto must play upon this jangly wreck
And dream of a Bechstein with a polished ebonised case
Beautiful lively tone and perfect ivory keys -
Yes, that is Ernesto's dream
And he drools over pictures of a Neindorf mini grand in walnut
Or a Hopkinson in rosewood

All the pianos of Cuba are dying and with them the music
Of Gershwin, Debussy, De Falla and Liszt
People of the world, pity the poor pianists of Cuba
If you can't play Chopin you'll never be happy