Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings

“Evening News” describes the current political situation in Cuba following the civil war. The narrator and her sister watch the news with the family every night, witnessing the violence in Cuba. She overhears her father encouraging her mother to visit since this may be their last chance.

“The Last Chance Train” through “Fluttering” are about the family’s trip and arrival in Cuba. In “Last Chance Train,” they take the train through New Orleans, passing swamps and other unfamiliar landscapes, carrying their caterpillars and other insects in suitcases. “Flowing” describes their first encounter with racial segregation as they encounter separate water fountains for Black people and white people at the station. Confused, the author drinks from both fountains. “Midair” describes travelling by plain to Cuba. She notes the emptiness of the plain and describes looking down on the water and the landscape below, mentioning mermaids, sea stallions, and sharks. She wonders if the spirit of the air will protect her from the dangerous waters below. In “Flattering,” the narrator, Mad, and Mami arrive at the airport in Cuba and release their insects, now butterflies. She worries if they will survive migration and ponders about wings.