Virgen del Carmen Procession

Traditions are interesting because they show the soul of a country performing the best or the worst of human nature hopes and dreams…many of them are meant sometimes to control groups and they should be analyzed in schools to open dialog and avoid prejudices and fanatic behaviour. I followed many “traditions” when I was a child

"venid y vamos todos
con flores a María
que madre nuestra es
de nuevo aquí nos tienes
purísima doncella
mas que la luna bella
postrados a tus pies... "

"Come on everybody
with flowers to Mary
she is our mother
here we are again
you the purest virgin
more beautiful than the moon
we kneel down at your feet"


When I was a child I attended to the procession celebrated in honor of the "Virgin del Carmen" the patron of Chile. We spent a month at school preparing this procession since 8th of November to the 8th of December praying each day for half an hour in a ceremony called Month of Mary. A tradition that still is performed in all the cities and towns in Chile, priests and altar boys first followed by the christians and pagans. They begin the procession from the main square crossing several streets to reach the place where a mass is celebrated.

Gracias a la vida - Thanks to life

Violeta Parra is one of the most popular chilean singer and song writer.
She composed in 1966 the most enduring and enchanted song of her time " Thanks to life" for all the wonderful details of love and beauty that she was able to find in her difficult existence.


Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto
Thanks to life which has given me so much,
Me dio dos luceros que cuando los abro,
It gave me two eyes that when I open them,
Perfecto distingo lo negro del blanco,
I can distinguish perfectly black from white,
Y en el alto cielo su fondo estrellado,
And in the high heaven its starry background,
Y en la multitudes el hombre que yo amo.
And in the multitudes the man I love.

Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto,
Thanks to life which has given me so much,
Me ha dado el sonido y el abecedario,
It's given me sound and the alphabet,
Y con el las palabras que pienso y declaro,
And with it the words that I think and declare,
Madre, amigo, hermano y luz alumbrando,
Mother, friend, brother, and burning light,
La ruta del alma de el que estoy amando.
The route of the sould of the one I am loving.

Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto,
Thanks to life which has given me so much,
Me ha dado el oído que en todo su ancho,
It's given me sound that in all its magnitude,
Graba noche y día grillos y canarios,
Records night and day crickets and canaries,
Martillos, turbinas, ladridos, chubascos,
Hammers, turbines, dogs' barks, storms,
Y la voz tan tierna de mi buen amado.
And the voice so tender of my good beloved.

Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto,
Thanks to life which has given me so much,
Me ha dado la marcha de mis pies cansados,
It's given me the steps of my tired feet,
Con ellos anduve ciudades y charcos,
With them I walked though cities and puddles,
Playas y desiertos, montañas y llanos,
Beaches and deserts, mountains and plains,
Y la casa tuya, tu calle y tu patio.
And your house, your street, and your patio.

Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto,
Thanks to life which has given me so much,
Me ha dado la risa, me ha dado el llanto,
It's given me laughter, it's given me tears,
Así yo distingo dicha de quebranto,
Thereby I distinguish good fortune from ruin,
Los dos materiales que forman mi canto,
` The two materials that make up my song,
Y el canto de ustedes que es mi propio canto.
And the song of all of you that is my own song.

¡Gracias a la vida que me ha dado tanto!
Thanks to life which has given me so much!

Strangers

A sudden certainty is born

when two strangers

stand under the blue sky

watching the clouds pass

sense an unknown

feeling of waiting for

someone who will soon arrive

have they already met?

maybe in a dream or a glance,

both sitting in a train, or a bus

or waiting in a queue

yesterday or last month?

they are still strangers

but they know

they can not escape fate

or make destiny happen

for good or bad

Golden rays

golden rays make possible
to see the dust dance
showing me the invisible

dorados rayos hacen posible
ver el polvo danzar
mostrando lo invisible

moment

Reflejos efímeros en el agua
me hipnotizan,
reteniendo el momento
la imagen se eterniza


Fleetings reflections on the water
hipnotize my vision,
I grasp the image
eternizing the moment

Seed

(I once read a news about a seed that grew in a man´s eye)

the wet of the eye was enough
for the seed to be born
that man was amazed
watching the plant to grow

A miracle

what is a miracle you asked
and I tell you without doubt
if you are able to go beyond
the limits of understanding
when a desire you have
that has been deep in your soul
becomes real and true
by the great power of thought

qué es un milagro preguntas
te lo digo sin dudar
que si puedes ir más allá
de lo que puedes comprender
y tienes un gran deseo
que está clavado en tu mente
éste se vuelve real y verdadero
por la fuerza del pensamiento