“Dark skies. The smell of brine. The esplanade that kept the sea from swallowing Havana, the place were we went to dream and watch the sun sink into the sea. El Malecon. The winds kicked up over the wall, splashing the ocean onto the avenida de maceo, whipping back, retreating into the water’s edge, coming forth with a larger wave, crashing on the road, misting the stores on the other side of the ocean wall. This is my home. It vibrates in every cell within my blood, skin and heart. Me. Rosa Jacobson Leon. My childhood is now behind me. My adulthood passing even faster. I’m old and have been living in another country, wondering how I could have changed the way I lived my life. Where did I lose the girl I used to be?  Cuba is in the distance behind me. How can I find my way back?”

Excerpt from ‘Sea Around Us’ by Debra Rotmil (To be published Spring 2015)