El respeto se gana con ejemplos, esa era una frase preferida por mi padre. Tal vez yo no la comprendía del todo, solo a través del tiempo he logrado asimilar plenamente su significado. Pero eso no me asombra, estoy convencido de que a la mayoría les ha sucedido igual. No en vano la sabiduría popular ucraniana sentencia: “justo cuando comenzamos a entender que nuestros padres tenían la razón, nuestros hijos piensan que estamos totalmente equivocados”.
Mis tres hermanos mayores jamás fueron “mediohermanos”, aunque eran frutos de un matrimonio anterior, esa amorosa enseñanza vino de mi padre, quien, fervoroso martiano, sostenía que “hacer es la mejor manera de decir” y fue siempre fiel a ese principio. Nos trataba a todos por igual, sin favoritismos incongruentes con su cosmovisión. Jamás trató de imponer su modo de actuar, sencillamente actuaba y, sin palabras, nos mostraba el camino correcto a seguir en la vida. Sabía mantener el orden y la disciplina de nuestra numerosa familia sin alterar su ecuánime tono de voz; nunca vi ni escuché discusiones con mi madre, y eso no significa que todo fuera color de rosa, por supuesto que se presentaron situaciones complejas en la cotidianidad, solo que él solía resolver los problemas más difíciles con sapiencia salomónica.
Poseía una sensibilidad impresionante, acorde a su condición de talentoso músico, cantante y poeta. Escribía versos a las cosas más simples con una altura lírica envidiable, además de haber fundado junto al poeta Luis Rodríguez Almaguer, El Chino Velazqueño y otros músicos amigos, el conjunto Típico Oriental en Puerto Padre, La Villa Azul de los Molinos, trabajó durante muchos años, hasta su jubilación, en el programa Fiesta Guajira, de Radio Libertad, la emisora radial de esa localidad nororiental, donde gozaba de notable popularidad entre los radioyentes. Por su calidad interpretativa, tuvo muchas oportunidades de trabajo en conocidas agrupaciones musicales de la capital cubana, pero él prefirió quedarse en su amada ciudad, aportar su entrega y talento a la cultura del terruño, haciendo caso omiso del fastidioso fatalismo geográfico.
Su patriotismo, su valor a toda prueba y sus ideales de libertad y justicia lo impulsaron a entregarse en cuerpo y alma a la lucha insurreccional, hasta que fue alcanzada la victoria. Llegada la paz, su filantropía lo llevó a participar en la campaña de alfabetización de los campesinos en la Sierra Maestra y, al finalizar esta, retornó a la vida civil para consumar sus sueños de dedicarse a la música, el canto y el verso.
En esos años convulsos, puso de manifiesto su vocación de padre amantísimo dedicándose a consolidar las relaciones familiares, a guiar a sus hijos por la senda del bien. Aunque carecía de una alta instrucción, su inteligencia natural le permitió inculcarnos valores éticos, morales y humanísticos que me han servido como baluartes inamovibles en mi trayectoria personal, profesional y social. He ahí su más preciada herencia. Me hice escritor, y ahora que ya él no me acompaña físicamente, lo mantengo vivo en mis pensamientos; por esa la razón escribí en su honor este poema:
ADAGIO EN RE MENOR
(A Miguel Ángel Fernández Ávila, in memoriam)
Mi padre me ha dejado como herencia
una insaciable sed de poesía,
el musical efluvio de su guía
y una cósmica dosis de paciencia.
Mi padre estuvo lejos de la ciencia,
la noche de lo ignoto lo envolvía,
sin embargo, en su pecho le nacía
cada mañana un sol a la experiencia.
Mi padre con palabras luminosas
me alumbraba el camino en la penumbra
para que no extraviara su ideal.
Hoy yo busco su espíritu inmortal
acercándome a todo cuanto alumbra,
como van al candil las mariposas.
El texto publicado es original y las imágenes son de mi propiedad.
ENGLISH VERSION
Respect is earned by example—that was a favorite phrase of my father's. Perhaps I didn't fully understand it; only with time have I fully assimilated its meaning. But that doesn't surprise me; I'm convinced the same has happened to most people. It's no wonder Ukrainian folk wisdom says: "Just when we begin to understand that our parents were right, our children think we're completely wrong."
My three older brothers were never "half-siblings," even though they were the fruits of a previous marriage. That loving teaching came from my father, who, a fervent follower of Martí, maintained that "doing is the best way of saying" and was always faithful to that principle. He treated us all equally, without favoritism inconsistent with his worldview. He never tried to impose his way of acting; he simply acted and, without words, showed us the right path to follow in life. He knew how to maintain order and discipline in our large family without altering his even tone of voice. I never saw or heard arguments with my mother, and that doesn't mean everything was rosy. Of course, complex situations arose in everyday life, but he usually resolved the most difficult problems with Solomonic wisdom.
He possessed an impressive sensitivity, befitting his status as a talented musician, singer, and poet. He wrote verses about the simplest things with enviable lyrical flair. He also founded the Típico Oriental ensemble in Puerto Padre, La Villa Azul de los Molinos, with the poet Luis Rodríguez Almaguer, El Chino Velazqueño, and other musician friends. He worked for many years, until his retirement, on the Fiesta Guajira program on Radio Libertad, the radio station in that northeastern town, where he enjoyed notable popularity among listeners. Due to his performing talent, he had many opportunities to work with well-known musical groups in the Cuban capital, but he preferred to stay in his beloved city, contributing his dedication and talent to the culture of his homeland, ignoring the tiresome fatalism of geography.
His patriotism, his unwavering courage, and his ideals of freedom and justice drove him to dedicate himself body and soul to the insurrectionary struggle until victory was achieved. When peace arrived, his philanthropy led him to participate in the literacy campaign for peasants in the Sierra Maestra, and at its conclusion, he returned to civilian life to fulfill his dreams of dedicating himself to music, singing, and poetry.
During those turbulent years, he demonstrated his vocation as a loving father by dedicating himself to strengthening family relationships and guiding his children along the path of goodness. Although he lacked a high level of education, his natural intelligence allowed him to instill in us ethical, moral, and humanistic values that have served as steadfast pillars in my personal, professional, and social journey. This is his most precious legacy. I became a writer, and now that he is no longer with me physically, I keep him alive in my thoughts; That's why I wrote this poem in his honor:
ADAGIO IN D MINOR
(To Miguel Ángel Fernández Ávila, in memoriam)
My father left me as a legacy
an insatiable thirst for poetry,
the musical effluence of his guidance,
and a cosmic dose of patience.
My father was far from science;
the night of the unknown enveloped him,
however, in his breast,
every morning a sun of experience was born.
My father, with luminous words,
lit my path in the darkness,
so that I would not stray from his ideal.
Today I seek her immortal spirit,
approaching all that illuminates,
as butterflies approach a candle.
The published text is original, and the images are my property.
