L'aura del Campo

Pits. Cortez.

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          SUMMER: 18 Rahmat (11 July)          

Think cool !

Weather where I am: 86º and humid.
Weather in Fort Smith, Arkansas: 80º and rain-cooled.
Weather in Fort Smith, Canada: 63º and damp.

My cousin Allen lives outside of Fort Smith in a nowhere place called Bonanza. It's supposed to be mid-90s, but a rain cooled 80 isn't bad for July .

There is rain to the west of here. It would be more comfortable if it were to just come down then clear out. The garden is still too wet to work in but tomorrow it should be fine. The weeds grow regardless.

Pits

I twisted the peach in two,
ejected the worm that woke up.
The flesh was juicy and sweet.
I thought of you and took out the pit
where another worm crawled,
then dropped it.

And again, I thought of your sweetness,
the taste of your flesh,
the fuzz of your skin,
the pit of your heart,
hard as stone.

I picked up the peach, flicked
off the worm and grinned
at each bite. [163.245]

I have endured a flurry of writing. Which is fine when it happens. It makes up for those moments when I feel I'm pulling teeth to write a few words that don't work well together.

So ... I'm ahead of my goals once again.

I'm actually sending a letter off to a friend. Sent an email to another. Some days have very small victories. Went to a meeting this morning and spoke, in spite of not really wanting to go at all. My energy levels are low. Does anyone have a magic wand that can make 30 pounds disappear? I swear that's part of the problem.

I carry a satchel over my shoulder daily. It gets heavy because I throw everything in there but rarely take anything out. Women have been accused of putting everything in their purses, so there should be some chuckles at what this man found!

IMAGES

Found in my satchel:

Peach; Progresso Soup (beef barley); Minute Maid (pink lemonade); umbrella; 2 library books; my journal; copies of poems; clean underwear; assorted pens; hockey magazine; info from Chatham, from Brown, from Goddard; paper plate; pills; razors; AA battery; mouthwash; camera.

Cortez

And what of the boy who packed a gun,
to steal a truck, because ...
someone said so?

And what of the man with his Three-fifty-seven
who let him take it, then shot him five
times in the back?

And what of those who dragged the dead body
from the burning truck, lest
they be forgot?

And what of the grandmother who mourned the loss
who put off the funeral,
to find his mother?

And what of the mother, once found, and brought back?
Who can console her for the boy she has lost
to the guns and the dust? [163.244]

My friend, Lillian Davis, wrote me that her son Cortez was shot 5 times in the back and died in Kansas City, Missouri on June 26th. I only met him once. His funeral was July 8th.

Odd thoughts. It is the time of crickets and grasshoppers; greenhoppers by day, blackhoppers by night. Does drinking Bolivian coffee support the compatriots of my friend Gastón? I've been cruising to pick up more blogs to view; neglecting my friends isn't good however. My cousin Betty called yesterday; that has to count for something, right? I'm not feeling 100%; at this age does 60% mean I'm passing? (something other than gas that is ...)