Soneto XVII

This is one of my favorite poems. I have a thing for sonnets, probably because they're ridiculously romantic. I still would like to consider myself one of those too, hopeless or not. Anyway, without further ado, here is the original Spanish and translated English versions of Pablo Neruda's Sonnet 27.

Soneto XVII
No te amo como si fueras rosa de sal, topacio
o flecha de claveles que propagan el fuego:
te amo como se aman ciertas cosas oscuras,
secretamente, entre la sombra y el alma.
Te amo como la planta que no florece y lleva
dentro de sí, escondida, la luz de aquellas flores,
y gracias a tu amor vive oscuro en mi cuerpo
el apretado aroma que ascendió de la tierra.
Te amo sin saber cómo, ni cuándo, ni de dónde,
te amo directamente sin problemas ni orgullo:
así te amo porque no sé amar de otra manera,
sino así de este modo en que no soy ni eres,
tan cerca que tu mano sobre mi pecho es mía,
tan cerca que se cierran tus ojos con mi sueño.

~

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.
I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.
I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way
than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

Hey Latina!

So, I ride a lot of buses in Costa Rica. Of course there are vendors who sell things to people on buses. From your seat, someone outside the bus will try and sell you anything from coke, to chips (potato, yucca, and banana), to sliced fresh fruit. People get on the bus and yell whatever products they're selling, and usually it's a good deal for we weary bus riders. One particularly alluring product on the hot days is something called 'gelatina,' basically frozen juice in a bag like a popsicle. I didn't think anything of it until Justin asked me, "Why are they yelling 'Hey Latina'?"...So now every time I see gelatina that's what I think of.

What is sustainability? What is "the environment"?

I think our common, mainstream definitions of these words, and a lot of rhetoric around concern for these things is constructed in a way that doesn't get to the root of our problem. Here's what I mean:

I personally think a lot of the standard arguments for sustainability are shit. Fuck economics, fuck science, technology, etc. (In this case, as a basis for this argument.) I think the root of the problem lies in the fact that a lot of people no longer have the foundations to create relationships with non-human entities. I mean here, that this "inherent value" that the earth/environment/whatever you call it, should manifest itself as a respect and awe within us, unconsciously, and if you grow up in a grid full of concrete boxes, I don't know if that's possible*. I think this problem is at the root of so many other current psychological problems in our society and world. *Sorry, that's a little harsh. It may be possible, but I think it takes a conscious effort to remember it.

At least that's what I've been thinking lately.

All our urges toward "green" "eco-friendly" things that "help our environment" are just misplaced desires to reconnect to the natural world. We don't need a greener clorox product, an eco-lodge in the middle of the most biodiverse place on earth, or to give money to an NGO for it's administrative costs, we need to walk around in the grass, observe the differences in how a robin and hawk fly, and hear the sound of bugs crawling on the forest floor. Then, I think we can start thinking about what it could look like to live a life that is worth passing on to our children.

I very rarely hear this argument constructed in that way, especially in a classroom. It may be too simple for academia, even for psychologists who think they/try to understand people. I hope whatever I do next in my life will try to answer the questions this way...I'd like to understand more about it, and I think it has a lot of potential.

The little things

--We were walking down the street passing some speakers blaring salsa from the supermarket. I looked inside and saw two of the employees dancing.
--We're on a bus from the middle of nowhere to the middle of nowhere, and after about 2 hours, someone sitting next to me whips out an ASUS netbook.
--When waitresses, vendors, or cashiers call me 'amor'.
--That there can be a normal-looking town that macaws or capuchin monkeys visit.
--That there can be 90 people on a bus at one time. Some of the buses get real crowded. But you can get anywhere on them.
--Reliably good, really cheap coffee. I can't stress this enough.

Homesick?

What I miss:
--Claussen pickles. A big fat jar of them. The juicy crunchy tangyness of them.
--Oh, and friends and family, too. I miss being able to sit down and talk to someone without having to start from scratch. Relationships with history.
--Good dark chocolate. The smooth bitter kind.
--Not being afraid of tropical bugs/illnesses.
--Social deviance. I miss talking to people who are critical of normal social activities. Probably I'm spoiled after living in Urbana for 4 years.
--Shelves to put my shit on. I'm getting a little tired of living out of a backpack. We've been traveling since the lease ran out on June 15, and we will be until August. In the moist climate everything smells like Ben's dreadlocks and cramming it all into a backpack next to my laptop is less than desirable.
--Recycling. There's so much garbage here.
--Sidewalks.

What's better:
--Canned alcoholic drinks. Rock Ice is pretty good. Cuba libres in a can is pretty cool too.
--The pace of life. People are so nice here...and generally patient. I visited the states back in May (we talked) and I was struck at how impatient Americans are - especially with other people. I'm not looking forward to going back to that.
--Huge variety of tropical fruits. ...Every time I go to a market or store I find new fruits. There are these things called mamon chino (rambutan? in english, or is that a country somewhere...?) which are kind of like lychees. Today we found a wine made out of them and it's awesome.
--Public transportation! You can get anywhere on a bus, it'll take a while, but you can get there for cheap without owning a car.
--Hearing Latin music all the time. I like the animated beat and the corny romantic lyrics.
--Biodiversity in general. It's great to see so many plants and animals I've never heard of before. Crazy bugs birds plants mammals.