Fidel Castro Writes Haiku, Talks Yoga on Twitter

Fidel Castro’s health is a mystery. The old revolutionary is pretty cagey about his physical condition. But many say Fidel’s latest symptoms say more about his mental health.

This month, he started writing poetry, haiku specifically, and publishing it on Cuban government websites. He has used the 5-7-5 syllable meter, for example, to praise Che Guevara. Another poem slammed former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping for inventing market socialism.

Then there are his haiku extolling the virtues of growing mulberry trees, or marveling at what yoga can do with the human body.

Those left many Cubans scratching their heads. They wonder if “El Comandante” is losing his marbles.

In some ways, though, it’s a promising development that a man prone to six hour speeches can actually edit himself back to Twitter-like brevity. And if brevity, as they say, is the soul of wit, Fidel Castro seems to fashion himself the poet laureate of Cuba.

Even if his audience these days is a relatively small one.