Monday 13 December 2010

Rise of legends

I believe in little birds
I believe in dirty girls
I believe in going to hell
I believe I'll ring that bell
I believe in travelling far
I believe in the loud guitar
I believe that elvis is king
I believe in everything
but most of all I've got to say
I believe in Rock'n'Roll


There was an owl. I sighted it outside the flat around midnight. A pale dark shadow descending into a small square of wasteground outside my flat near Parque Carolina on Avenida De Los Shiris. I kept an eye on it's landing position realising it was most likely an owl. After a few moments of desperate rodent squeal, the bird rose and landed on a fence post only 20 metres from me. In its short bill dangled a decent sized rat, silent and lifeless. The almost white coloured bird, larger than I expected, was similar to a Barn Owl in it's markings but certainly larger. It sat still for about 60 seconds before spreading it's substantial wings and gracefully rising over Plaza de Argentinas, her pale plummage illuminated in the high set street lights. Beautiful and graceful. Leaving behind a wonderful excitement in a Scottish guy at a kitchen window smoking a cigarrette of Drum tobacco around midnight.

I cook my veg and eat it heartily. Leaving no morsels for the birdies or insects. That's the way it should be I think. My rice cooking is not improving, yesterday in my attempt at rice integral I realized no improvement whatsoever in the past 25 years. ´

There was a census here a couple of weeks ago. On a sunday. What a perverse situation that was. I was alone in the flat with Joaquine- Ok, I wasn´t alone! The census people arrive just after 8.00 am, two young girls in school uniform about 14 years old. The streets outside were silent and still. No traffic. No people on the pavements. No sign of life except for the occasional uniformed gunman or should I say gun duo, they hunted in pairs. I answered the questions- of which there were many, as best as I was able in a language I am no fluent speaker of. This lasted about a half hour. So from 8.30 until 5.30 that evening Joaquine and I were incarcerated in the apartment. To venture out would have meant bullets in the body for sure.
Despite these constraints it was rather fine to have a day of such silence and freedom from auto pollution .

Over the next couple of days Joaquine´s health deteriorated and culminated in a five day spell in hospital suffering from pneumonia. I don't blame the census for that. Joaquine is now back to his usual mischievous self.

I got up early today and went to Cyrano for bread and cakes. I neglected to buy a loaf yesterday. A mistake of course.

The legends of the future are maybe my friends today. I regret I cannot spot a legend before the official proclamation. I don't mind that. If they be legends let them be legends without my authority I say.

I am not sacrificing to you information regarding my inner feelings at this time. I would dissapoint you. I would not impress anyone.

Let's let it be for the time being. I can't give much. I don´t have much to give. I can tell thee to relax and not be uptight and be good to others. respect all living things and make decisions that will be detrimental only to thyself. As I try to.

My love and wishes of glorious splendidness

..ed

xxxx