Philosophy of the Optimist

by Fayad Jamis (Cuba)
translated by Kathleen Weaver

Philosophy of the Optimist
for Jaime August Shelley

The optimist sat down at the table, looked around
and helped himself to a little of the little he found.
The others pointed out there was too much of nothing
(in fact there was a little bit of a lot).
But he ate his portion without comment,
opened his newspaper, inhaled his coffee
and finished dining in peace. Musing: I have the right
to eat in good humor the little bit of plenty
I earn while abundance is drawing near. Still
they went on and on about all they didn’t have
did not, did not, did not have. None of this, none of that.
But the optimist rose in silence
and thought again of those years
when tears were his only nourishment. When nobody
was there to say: “There’s no soup,” or “no meat” or
“Take this scrap of hard bread for the dog of your hunger.”
Yet he spoke not a word in protest. And now
he was satisfied with his frugal supper.
The optimist
went out to the street and set off walking and whistling
The electric lights reminded him of the future.