Wednesday, November 21, 2012

"HOMESICKNESS"



Bougainvillea of many hues- Peru

At this time of year as the winds bring down tall branches scattering them across our island roads and the temperature is on the chilly side, I miss the warmth of Peru and Costa Rica. Here I present some poems written about one of my favorite "hot"places on earth!


IT IS SPRING NOW IN PERU

 THE BURROWING OWL SITS BY HER NEST IN THE BARREN GROUND
            THE WHITE-TAILED JAY FLITS THRU THE GREEN WHILE
Fork-tailed Woodnymph (Mts of Ayabaca)
                        TWO GOLDEN-BACKED WOODPECKERS DO
                                    WHAT IS NATURAL THIS TIME OF YEAR.
PICAFLORES ARE WONDROUS IN THEIR GOWNS OF RED, GREEN, BLUES,  AND PURPLES AND
SMALL PARROTS CAN BE HEARD IN THE BACKGROUND BUT RARELY SEEN AS  MY  FAVORITE CRESTED CARCARA WAITS FOR FOOD TO FLY HER WAY.
THE EVER PRESENT TANAGERS OF MANY HUES AND THE HUGE FAMILY OF FLYCATCHERS ARE EVERYWHERE IN YELLOWS, ORANGES AND GRAYS...

I MISS THE BIRDS OF PERU

(I added over 200 birds to my life list in Peru
and another 170 in Costa Rica)


Cotton handweaving-  Ayabaca, Peru

        MY PEOPLE

OH MY PEOPLE OF PIURA
           WITH YOUR READY SMILES AND OPEN HEARTS
                       SO WILLING TO TAKE ME
INTO THE
            FABRIC OF YOUR LIVES
WEAVING
           OUR SOULS TOGETHER INTO THIS
           TAPESTRY OF NOT COTTON OR SHEEP’S WOOL
           BUT OF LOVE….

(in my 6 weeks in N. Peru I never saw a llama or alpaca- 
only sheep- the main crop being cotton)


Cloud forest, Ayabaca, Peru
THE IMPOSSIBLE

THEY SAID IT COULD NEVER BE DONE
            DRAGGING MY KNEE ALONG AS THO IT
            WAS NOT A PART OF ME

BUT I MADE IT 10,000 FEET TO THAT MAGIC WONDROUS FOREST
            WHERE THE CLOUDS ENVELOPED US LIKE CAPES
                        AS WE SEARCHED FOR THE BIRDS OF PURPLE, CRIMSON, GREEN
                        AND SO MANY SHADES OF YELLOW I LOST COUNT...

NOW BACK AT SEA LEVEL, I DREAM OF THAT HIGH PLACE WITH ITS GENTLE QUIET
            PEOPLE, UNLIKE THE NOISY LOWLANDERS-
            AND THE FOODS NEVER BEFORE TASTED AND THE ANCIENT CHURCH WITH SO MANY
                        STRANGE PRACTICES THAT I LAUGHED AFTER MASS,
            AND SO MANY BIRDS FOUND IN THAT LOST HORIZON STILL HERE ON EARTH...



The arana



THE ARANA IN THE BANO*


HELP I YELLED
            CLUTCHING THE TOWEL AROUND ME AS
            THE MANY LEGGED FURRY CREATURE
                        CLUNG TO THE WALL- INNOCENT
OF ANY WRONG DOING.

WHAT IS IT SCREAMED JUDY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR
            ALWAYS READY TO JUMP INTO THE FRAY.

            AN ARANA IN OUR BANO I YELLED DROPPING THE TOWEL
            AND REACHING FOR MY NIGHTIE

TRYING TO BAT THE THING TO HELL AS IT QUICKLY SCRAMBLED UP A HOLE INTO THE
WALL OF THE VOLCANO-LIKE BATHROOM CEILING.

I DON'T MIND THE FOX AT THE DOOR EACH EVENING AND MORNING
            I DON'T MIND THE FACT THAT WE CAN'T FLUSH TOILET PAPER DOWN THE
            JOHN
OR THAT THERE IS NO GLASS ON OUR WINDOWS OR THAT A WILD
SPECTACLED BEAR WAS SEEN NEAR OUR CASA LAST NIGHT

OH NO, IN THIS PARADISE ALMOST ALL THINGS ARE ACCEPTED EXCEPT
THE ARANA IN OUR BANO!!

* the arana was a Chilean Tarantula
            -a Bano is the bathroom

The infamous Bano in Chaparri- Peru


















ROYALTY

EVERY MORNING THE GUARDS SALUTED ME
            AS THO I WAS SOME DIGNITARY
LITTLE DID THEY KNOW OF MY SECRET MISSION…
YES, I AM A TERROR
           WITH MY BINOCULARS
                       AND BAG FULL OF HEAVY SUSPICIOUS ARTICLES
           FOR DISCOVERING WHAT MANY DO NOT SEE AROUND THEM
IN THE TREES, ON THE BARRON GROUND, FLYING HIGH OVER ME
Garden at Uni. Piura (45 years ago this was desert)
           LIKE THE STEALTH OVER WHIDBEY

ARMED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT IS TODAY
           SO READILY FOUND ON THE NET
I CAN DECIPHER ALL THE WONDER ABOUT ME…

(guards were at gate to University where I 
daily went to Mass & to bird watch)





MOTHER ABBESS

HER PEOPLE ARE NOT MY PEOPLE
            BUT
                        KNOWING THEM HELPS ME
TO  UNDERSTAND HER THO I THINK HER
            ENGLISH MOTHER TEMPERED SOME OF HER
                         TRAITS
I SAW HER IN SO MANY FACES OF THE MOUNTAIN PEOPLES-

WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR HER FATHER TO COME DOWN FROM THOSE MOUNTAINS
                SO MANY YEARS AGO?
THIS WEEK WE CELEBRATED HIS PASSAGE INTO A NEW LIFE IN THE MOUNTAIN
            OF THE FATHER

WHEN WILL I LOOK ON THOSE DEAR FACES?
            IN THE MOUNTAINS OF ANOTHER LIFE?


Friends in Piura, Peru


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