3/20/2011

The Essentials

Between here and there, and then and now so much has happened that it's difficult to capture it all and decant it.
For starters, there is Cuba.
Impossibly blue. Filled with possibility.
And dignified struggle.
Pushing a cart of beachwear, or casting a net for sardines
the clock moves much slower in this world. 

Tourists have taken over the edges, but nature takes notes and marks the
trails where it's safe to wander.
Most of the time.
On the day of the earthquake in Japan, and thousands of miles away
on Veradero beach, a cold front moved in and sent the happy holidayers
sprinting for shelter.

It was a magnificent moment. Nature -1. Sunbathers - 0.

Away from the edge, and into the woods, the struggle is relentless
and the termites never stop.
Their home is impermeable to the winds and rains and seasons and tourists.
Awesome.
The bees have figured it out too. And on this rock, they built their home.
Safe from the scrabble and the scrambling of other creatures.
Essential.
And sweet.
Like Cuba.