Works
Podries de Joana Raspall - PDF
Com el plomissol. Poemes i faules
Podries
Si haguessis nascut
en una altra terra,
podries ser blanc,
podries ser negre...
Un altre país
fóra casa teva,
i diries "sí"
en un altra llengua.
T'hauries criat
d'una altra manera
més bona, potser;
potser, més dolenta.
Tindries més sort
o potser més pega...
Tindries amics
i jocs d'una altra mena;
duries vestits
de sac o de seda,
sabates de pell
o tosca espardenya,
o aniries nu
perdut per la selva.
Podries llegir
contes i poemes,
o no tenir llibres
ni saber de lletra.
Podries menjar
coses llamineres
o només crostons
eixuts de pa negre.
Podries ....podries...
Per tot això pensa
que importa tenir
LES MANS BEN OBERTES
i ajudar qui ve
fugint de la guerra,
fugint del dolor
i de la pobresa.
Si tu fossis nat
a la seva terra,
la tristesa d'ell
podria ser teva.
Source: https://www.musicadepoetes.cat/mdpAdmin/media/1662-joanaraspall_podries.pdf (retrieved on 29-03-2022).
Information about the work and context of creation
The author stands out due to her cultural and civic commitment. Her poetic work, like this poem, is partially conceived and written for children.
"You could" is a reflection on the fact that life can be very different depending on where a person is born. Consequently, she invites to empathise and show solidarity to other people. It approaches people in their human condition, since the major part of differences from one another only come from the fact of being born in a particular place of the world.
The poem ends with a final thought for solidarity and welcome, with no paternalism, towards those people that have had to leave their home countries to seek a better life, for various reasons.
It is a very popular poem and it is usually used as a reference when international solidarity with refugees and migrants is vindicated. It has also been set to music by several artists and its verses are one of the most shared in social networks.
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