Fotos by Edilma.
a] Odds & Ends
Civilization is a work in progress; it advances by fits and starts.
Thruway Sign: EXIT 54 >>FOOD >> HOSPICE
He smiles all the time. I don’t think he has a central nervous system.
That makes nonsense
“I find it extraordinary that a straight forward if inelegant device for ensuring the survival of the species should involve human beings in such emotional turmoil. Does sex have to be taken so seriously?”
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b] Report
CAICO #1
(revised)
I recently spent 10 days over Cristmas holiday visiting the family of my friend Edilma in Caicó, a small desert city in the interior of the state of Rio Grande do Norte. I like the family, the city and the surrounding country. I have a fantasy about living there which I am sensible enough not to implement, yet.
The report is divided into digestible segments, this being the first. I will post continuing segments now and again.
- - -
Caicó, RN, Brasil - 1
The Friday before Christmas Edilma and I travelled to Caicó from Natal in a microonibus which seats 14 plus driver and provides door-to-door service - -think a FedX for warm bodies. Crammed with 7 bulky brasileiros, 5 medium sized ones, a skinny americano and one delightful pregnant mother in her 7th month it was cosy.
This was holiday time. Where there was no flesh there was luggage and packages. These were piled five bags high in the aisle, under the seats and on laps up to chins. Very cozy.
All but one young grouch - he was continuously losing a video game on an ipod - were in a holiday mood chattering and laughing. Edilma sang along to some gentle, brasileiro music by Ramalhos & Azevedo.
The trip, my eleventh outside Natal, my first into the interior took four hours. The highway was a long winding road, one lane in each direction with considerable holiday traffic. We passed through four or five small cities and a few dusty villages. Now and then a hard packed dirt road wandered off into the desert scrub.
The country side gradually changed from littoral tropical green to desert; rocky and sandy, brown with a scattering of green from cactus, mesquite trees and irrigated crop lands- -think southern Arizona. On the way to Caicó I saw signs for a few “fazendas”- large farms - but the fazenda buildings were well off the highway and I saw nothing but privacy.
It grew dark as we drew near Caicó. Suddenly the lights of the city sparkled into view from some 5 miles across the desert. Beautiful.
Look up! Stars!! Millions of them. It was as if they were reflecting and multiplying the lights of Caicó. Wonderful, particularly since you see few stars in brightly lit Natal. The southern cross is up there, somewhere.
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c] Poems
At 2:10am
a bike rider
meandered slowly
past sleepy
Natal Central Hospital
whistling
gently
- - - - -
THANKS FOR ASKING
I am good.
Operation was successful
I hope to be walking soon
Mercedes was totaled but
The wife and the kids are okay
...got all the toys money can buy.
Tell me again
what were those things
money can’t buy?
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My poetry web site is: www.halsutcliffe.org
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FELIZ ANO NOVA!!
posted by hal sutcliffe @ 6:48 AM
