Street in Quito

POEM BY SHARON LEBENKOFF: Quito

Last updated: November 13th, 2018

Quito

As I walk the streets of Quito,
I weave through mango peels and dogshit.
I dream of love.
And of white roses that never die.

My head bowed,
I avoid eye contact with sweaty men
Who believe they have the God-given right
To look at my body as if they own it.
And whistle at me as if I were a dog.

Quito smells like work and smoke and urine and anger.
Traffic is at a standstill because of student protests.
It’s no secret the youth are raging against so much more
than a seven cent increase in bus fares.

As I wander the lonely path of mango peels and dogshit,
I pass graffiti crying “Fuera Bush de Latino America.”
I dream of vandalizing the city walls with love poems.
I pass niños chiquitos in their red and blue school uniforms,
And well-shined leather shoes.
They walk hand-in-hand,
I admire their bravery.

I stop in a florería to buy sixteen white roses for a buck-fifty.
I recall days past when I bought roses as a declaration of my love.
The taxistas ask me why I’m here and if I’m soltera.
“Mi novio está en los Estados Unidos,” I dutifully lie,
As we pass countless young mothers and their children,
selling platanos asados, chewing gum, and beaded earrings.

I look to the west to the mountains.
They help me recall secrets buried deep beneath my skin.
They reveal all that I need to know but nothing more,
They ignite my spirit with feelings of love and righteousness.

My footsteps weave through mango peels and dogshit.
I marvel at the burning sun and the angry rain.
Quito can’t make up its mind,
And nor can I.
I want to destroy it and embrace it,
I want to forget it and never let it go.

I dream of love.
And of white roses that never die.

Sharon Lebenkoff

image: Anton_Ivanov / Shutterstock.com
  1. Jeez, I don’t get many comments on my stuff here either. I LOVED this, almost makes me not need to ever go there! (Well, partly makes me not want to also…but of course there’s the beautiful side too you give voice to.) The beauty of your spirit shines through! The city of POETRY is the one you live in!

  2. Wow. I love this poem. It is amazing! Can’t believe I’ve stumbled across something so excellent so unexpectedly. Do you have any other poems? Emily x

  3. Hi Sharon, I am a returned Peace Corps volunteer who served in Ca?ar, Ecuador from 1968 to 1970 and have felt the ambivalence toward the culture that you speak about so eloquently in your poem. I would like to use the photo that accompanies it in a film I am making about the old and new Ecuador. Do I have your permission? Do you have other photos I might be able to look at. Thanks very much.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *