Poets in Salamanca ..... and a wise mother

A wise mother

My mother announced today that the only gift she ever wants from my brother and me is the best financial contribution we can make to the church trip she hopes to take to Rome. The parish priest will take 26 Catholics to Rome on a journey he's titled "A Pilgrimage to Rome".

I've always considered myself the orator in our family. But my wise and sincere mother, who hasn't always been thrilled with my impulsive domestic and international leaps, made a pitch I couldn't possibly ignore.

She has to go to Rome, she told me. "Something is just telling me to go."

Little voices?

**********************************************************
Poets in Salamanca

or How to Spend a Saturday Afternoon:

Begin with a presentation of the IX Encuentro de Poetas Iberoamericanos, this year paying homage to Mexican poet José Emilio Pacheco.

Listen to Jorge Luis Arcos (Cuba), Noni Benegas (Argentina, and wow, do I need to buy some Noni Benegas), Francisco Fortuny (Spain, also on the buy list) and Miguel Marcotrogiano (Venezuela, currently in the doctoral program here in Salamanca) read their work in the Sala de Palabras in the Liceo.

Smile while you and your friends notice you're getting every word -- spoken by a Cuban poet! Try to remember back when a Cuban accent was an unconquerable enemy. Fail.

Stroll out, lifted, smiling and head directly for a favorite bar. In the plaza, pause to watch the jota-dancing charros help a young couple celebrate their wedding.

At the bar, breathe deeply and bite. Perfect morcilla picante, fresh off the grill.