Puebla Musica




TripAdvisor images of dusty, uneven streets,
women in brightly colored long skirts with shawls draped
over long black hair.

Children playing stickball in empty lots
black hair tousled by the sun. 
calling out into the clear day.

Men, dusty and dirty, pushing wheelbarrows,
swinging pickaxes,
mixing concrete in shallow wells in earth dry.

Yet images can’t 
reveal background music
from cassettes old or radios battered.
Tuba's bellowing, trumpets blaring 
and drums cadence.

And the singing 
from worksites 
tiendas 
casas
busses.
Belies soulful power of a beautiful people.

Sleepy village sounds
call imagination.
clopping horses outside my casa.
Soft voices passing open doors,
“Hola, Buena Dias!”

Recording from gas trucks
offering tanks full.
Junkmen calling for
refuse sad. Tamales and fresh
fish hawked from wheelbarrows. And the 
ice-cream cart singing for children.

No need to leave village 
cocoon.
It is all here
fresh and beautiful
each day.


Bidding me Buenas Dias.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Living Lakeside: Paradise or Not?

Image
  A cynical look at this paradise called Lakeside. Retirees flock here for the relatively inexpensive lifestyle and supposedly the second best climate in the world. The web is filled with realtors and bloggers touting the wonderful life that awaits them just over the border. Still, if people get the stars out of their eyes for just a moment, they can join several Facebook groups to read about all of the complaining that goes on here. Those who come from expensive cities such as San Francisco, LA, Seattle, NYC can live lavish lives ensconced in gated communities that offer pools, gyms, tennis courts, pickleball along with potlucks, etc. They have cooks, housekeepers, pool men, and gardeners. Amazon, Nordstroms, etc.,  will deliver right to their door, and someone is always there to receive the package. These homes offer sweeping views of Lake Chapala and the mountains on the other side. This is the paradise so many dream of living in but is out of reach for most. On the other e...
Read more

Porches

Image
Over the years porches, such simple things, have changed and become mere ornaments.  One dictionary defines it as a noun “a covering over the front door of a house”; symbolic of protection from the elements and the entry into a family’s life. Today a “front porch” is a statement about how clever the lady of the house is and a testament to the family ’s earning power. It also creates “curb appeal” which translates in to value.  Various styles are used to convey something of the owner.  Some present a sentimental, sophisticated motif with wicker and Martha Stewart color coordinated cushions, where no one sits. In the more rural areas, the theme might be the Old West or mountain life and weekends devoted to scouring garage sales and junk shops for memorabilia. Yet no one sits in the rockers or straight back chairs. Signs by the door announce “Welcome” but families are seldom home and the doors are dead-bolted; protected from everyone. Back in the day,...
Read more

Two Shoes

Image
He wasn’t always like this. In the distant foggy past his mom walked him to school, made his lunch, watched him as he made life’s way. Washing clothes clean, folding and placing carefully with mother’s love. Now slumping on a  dead-end corner to nowhere balled up defeated by life demons. No one notices. Two shoes scavenged from trash foul, piled on the street... loosely clinging to his feet. One dingy grey  trainer, bound with dirty tape. One worn out men’s dress shoe no laces to hold them to his aching feet. Such is his broken, mismatched life. So far from his mother’s dreams. Jocotepec, MX , 2018
Read more