La Escalera
Silvio Rodriguez
The Staircase
I was whistling my tune
down any street
when on the side of the road
I found the staircase.
It was a simple ladder
made of rustic wood
from the yellow street
to the red of a roof
to the red of a roof.
What will be seen from the roof?
said the voice of a stranger
and without thinking about the distance
I put effort into the step.
The breeze accompanied me
during the ascent of the soul
and my shirt flew
alongside the mockingbird and the palm
alongside the mockingbird and the palm.
The higher I climbed
the street seemed to me
smaller, less harsh
like a toy store.
And suddenly it happened
that after feeding myself
with a different vision
I only had to come down
I only had to come down.
I left the height in its calmness
I left the sky on the horizon
the palm continued to sway
the mockingbird continued to fly.
I found the staircase
on the side of the road
down any street
I was whistling my tune
I was whistling my tune.
