Vagancia en las Calles y Ventura en los Pechos.
Monday, March 27, 2017
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| Bella Vista - Provincia de Buenos Aires - March 2017 |
The photograph above is an uncharacteristic one. Nobody would ever seem to sip (never drink) a mate in solitude. The mate as had from the gourd (also called el mate) is a social event that has to be shared. On the other hand the mate cocido (boiled mate) is not. The latter in my Argentine Navy days was boiled in a huge pot with milk. The concoction that resembled thick swamp water, without crocodiles, had a scum called nata. It was very sweet and I learned to like it. When my Portland baroque string bassist friend comes for a visit he demands his mate cocido which I prepare in my sophisticated French press.
I long for someone with whom I can share a mate. The only person in Vancouver I do this is in those rare instances when Rebecca, my oldest granddaughter comes for a visit. Because she likes her mate sweetened I do not protest (I like it unsweetened) as she is the only game in town. Can I ever try to drink a mate in solitude?
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| Rebecca Stewart |
La noche
es olorosa como un mate curado
y es
vagancia en las calles y ventura en los pechos.
La tarde
fue mi pena. La noche como ensalmo
aduna la
confianza de los patios abiertos.
Mis
pasos haraganes comprenden bien la calle.
Yo fui
de este suburbio criollero del oeste;
Sé que
en los corazones hay la ternura grave
de los
tangos antiguos y las tapias celestes.
Igual
que una linterna, bamboleándose y hueco,
un
Lacroze rezonga la cualquier bocacalle.
Su luz
rayó las piedras. Con dulzor de recuerdo
queda el
barrio guarango, corazonero, suave.
Miren.
Esa palmera, conventillo de pájaros,
me dio
en la resolana vacaciones de sombra.
Por este
portón quieto, negro, cicatrizado,
sabiendo
que era linda pasó una vez mi novia.
Redondeles
de lumbre se abren como agua mansa
debajo
de los focos en las anchas esquinas.
Voy
queriendo las verjas, las estrellas, las casas.
Un
pianito. Que suerte me hiere en alma viva.
Noche de
sola fiesta de soledad y anhelo.
Encontronazo
dulce de tu tierra y mi cielo.
Jorge Luís Borges
The reason M portrait has such shallow depth of field is that I used my Nikon (old style) 50mm f-1.4 lens wide open with an adaptor for my Fuji X-E1 digital camera. I like the result and I believe I will use it again.
The reason M portrait has such shallow depth of field is that I used my Nikon (old style) 50mm f-1.4 lens wide open with an adaptor for my Fuji X-E1 digital camera. I like the result and I believe I will use it again.
