A poem out of focus

About a week ago, a cold homebound saturday night, my housemate Alejandro and i decided to scavange a few pesos together and invest in some whisky. Did i mention how great it is to live in a house of critical thinkers and philosophers? truth and reality, their definitions and distinctiveness is an ongoing debate between Ale and i. To boot, both he and Manuel, who i also live with, are both doing theses on critical pedagogy... right up my ally.

Anyways, back to whisky which seemed to be the impetus needed to unleash our synchronised creative genius in the form of one poem this one particular night. Here tis, make what you will out of it.

Poema difuso – A Poem out of focus

A veces quisiera sudar lágrimas en otras almohadas
Pillows, schpillows, there’s no resting now
Descansar a veces es lo mismo que actuar
Pues actuar es una forma de olvidar
Forget me forget me. And then being the same.
Porque no puedo dejar de ser yo todos mis actos.
No hay escapatoria. Ir es lo mismo que volver.
Leaving one door but entering another, Always,
Otherwise, where’s the evolution?
Craving for cynicism again
Diablos, ¿no puedo ir más allá de mi mismo?
¿Por más que busque, no voy a encontrar nada sino mis anhelos?
Like I know those, ha-ha-ha,
¿Cómo abandonarme sin dejarme? Si en la práctica eso no ocurre,
¿Por qué mierda me lo pregunto?
I’m my own testimony, if anyone. And still aching to mold me,
Transform me,
Mutate me,
Manipulate me
Distil me
Refine me
Pollute me
Sick me
And still nothing me,
¿Debo buscar cambiar o permanecer? ¿Qué es lo inevitable?
Changing what will always leave remnants of me
Permanence is deadly, but I …
Bueno, yo no la maté.

Alejandro Herrera, Christine Athanasakos

Football Nuff turns into Nut

10 am and the streets of Buenos Aires are virtually empty, except for the crowds hovering around every TV screen looking out onto the street.
Argentina is playing and every office is empty. EVERYONE at work is in front of a TV screen. An oil company i go to do classes has installed a large screen tv in the basement and for the next 2 hours, nothing else exists.
I´m there too. All i want to do is watch football... oooo, i just heard the screams of the 3rd goal.

Australia Vs Brazil this friday and I`ll be going to a sports bar to drink beer, naturally and barrack for ... the team i mean to or for the team whose T-shirt i can sport..?

yours
The Nuff-Nut

Australia WINS 3 - 1 !!!

..and argentines don´t bat an eyelid.
This morning, walking to a class, i walk by a bakery and i hear the sound of the radio "goooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllll"
Wow i thought, and seconds later in the next corner store i walk into, i see on TV, yes it´s our own green and gold. I had a smile from ear to ear and said ´"australia´s winning, how good is that!!" and i just got an indifferent but friendly smile back...
Well, it´s not like australia isn´t self-centered.

and Argentina wins 2 -1

against Cote d´Ivoire yesterday afternoon, when the city of Buenos Aires seemed to have stopped breathing. I, being SO not a football nuff, originally thought it would be a good time to go and take a quiet walk, take some photos which i still haven´t done here yet , cos 20 minutes before the game everything seemed like it had shut down and no there was no traffic. But no, i got sucked in, watched the whole match and actually enjoyed it - ha (and i can´t remember the last time i saw a whole game of anything), and i delighted in serving mate throughout the game. The country´s favourite won, thank goddess, and there was singing and honking for a good while. Today my neighbour confessed to being too nervous to watch the game that she spent the whole time in the supermarket, but even there she said she would hear it in the background. When i went out on the street after the game people were, needless to say, jovial and smily, there were cars moving on the road again,
..and it´s only Argentina´s first game.