Gratis para la gente que no puede leer

Una voluntaria
salió de la República
y dejó en la acera
afuera de su casa
dos sillas plásticas en una pila.

En esos lo
puso un letrero.
¿Qué dijó?
Te digo:

-Gratis para la gente que no puede leer.

Dos primos Dominicanos
quienes estaban paseando
(Sus nombres eran Randrika y Romeano)
vieron la pila y el letrero.
-¿Qué dices? preguntó el varón primo
a su prima alfabeta.

Y en voz alta Randrika lo leyó
a tu primo Romeano:

-Gratis para la gente que no puede leer.

La jóven bien educada pensó 
tan grosero el letrero, pero
a su primo no lo molestó.
-Perfecto, el tiguere dijó.

-A ti una silla doy.
Vamos a tu casa y luego me voy.

La pobrecita voluntaria de educación
despidió a su sitio con mucha decepción. 
Pero el letrero, su última lección,
enseña que todavía hay cosas que son
gratis para la gente que no puede leer.

---

"Free for People Who Can't Read."

A volunteer left the Republic
and left on the sidewalk outside her house
two plastic chairs in a pile.

On those she hung a sign.
What did it say? I'll tell you:

"Free for people who can't read."

Two Dominican cousins were walking by
(their names were Randrika and Romeano)
and saw the sign and pile.
"What's it say?" the male cousin asked
his literate female cousin.

And to her cousin Romeano
Randrika read in full voice:

"Free for people who can't read."

The well-educated young woman
thought the sign was very rude but
it didn't bother her cousin.
"Perfect," said the tiguere*.

"I'll give you a chair.
Let's take it to your house
and then I'm out of here."

The poor education volunteer
bid farewell to her site
with feelings of great disappointment.
But the sign, her last lesson,
teaches that some things still are
free for people who can't read.








*A word in Dominican Spanish with no direct translation. It comes from the word tigre ("tiger") and is used to describe a person with street smarts.