Longevity has nothing to do with eating healthy

On a day when Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett have passed away, it might be possible that one's mortality comes into question. Exactly how long will we live? When will we die? Why will we die? Is there any hope to extend our lives?

Well exactly how long we live really depends on our lifestyles, if we're healthy and to be bluntly honest, just plain luck. The fact that we're a lane shift, a misstep or a centigrate of body temperature away of expiring might be a little harrowing at first, but that doesn't make it less real. We are truly a stone's throw away from kicking the bucket, and the only guarantee of life is that eventually, even if we become a vampire, we're going to die.

I look back at my relatives, those who still live and those who have passed and I start jotting down just exactly what could be the reason for my demise. Stroke, heart attack, renal failure, diabetes, cancer of various types, accidental deaths etc, and the weird part is that there is no discernible illness. The most is that there have been four people from throughout my family that have died from cancer, but those ranged from pancreatic, to colon, to ovarian to brain.I look at my background and have to accept that it's anyone's guess when and why I'll die.

I look at my ancesters and see that my great grandmother gave birth to eight kids, worked her ass off for lord knows how many years, live through an exile from her home country, saw some of her children pass on, and herself passed away at 94. She happened to have cut back on smoking and occasionnaly had a shot of Cutty Sark or dark rum for good measure and passed away in her sleep.

I then see health nuts, colon cleansing aficionados and tofu scarfing hordes dying before they turn 60 and there's no easily discernible reason for death, except a high level of stress and lack of satisfaction with what they have achieved so far. To be honest, though there are some exceptions, most of the people I know who have died before they reached 60 for whatever reasons they might have passed away, seem to have had some type of conflict in their life they couldn't get over. Actually many advanced age people that are quite fit and die suddenly usually have something that truly affects them emotionally to the point where their health is compromised.

Is it any wonder that cancer patients that are treated with kindness and given entertainment and activities to better their quality of life live longer than those who live in eternal vigil of their passing? Yeah, there might be some Scrooges that make it to old age crabbing about and being overall miserable, but hell, what's the use of longevity if you can't make it count for something other than being a token sour puss?

What I'm getting at is that you can eat as healthy or as poorly as you want. Yes, this will directly affect how well you do in your life, but maybe it won't. Remember that guy from Super Size me who pretty much lives off of Big Macs? Do you also remember Jim Fix? While one died from a heart attack after selling millions of books and eating tofu goodness, the other is still going strong with a normal cholesterol count and the zesto to declare happilly that he spends a third of his salary at McDonald's.

The two most important things that will determine how long you live are your level of satisfaction with life and your genetic makeup. So if you balance the psychological with the most basic physiological components, then you'll get an idea of your expiration date.

One more thing though, while you ponder on the quality of your chromosomes, remember one thing. Be it ten, twenty, fifty or a hundred, it's not how many years you live, it's how worthwhile each of those years was. Remember, it's good to know you're eventually going to die, but it isn't good to only think of that day. It's like only thinking of a goal in a journey. We all begin, we all end. Our beginnings and end are similar, but what we do in the in between, that is where a soul is defined and a life is lived.

Resolution Report!

Ok so this isn’t a new series, but since these posts take up so much space, I had to change it from my other blog to this one. Just in case, I got a little lost to say the very least since I was supposed to make a progress report every month but have managed to have this be my third one only. ARGH. Anyways, now I’m back on track (don’t say Nordictrac please) and I’m updating my resolution progress. True, to make good on one of the resolutions I’m going to have to report twice a month for a couple of months, but hey, I suck for having a crappy computer that doesn’t want to cooperate with me, not to mention the super May writer’s block or my beautiful talent to procrastinate.

So let’s start with the physical aspect of the resolution report. I’ve made some progress but need to stay healthy to make good on my goals. I got a cold not too long ago (IT WASN’T SWINE FLU) and couldn’t do much of anything. Anyways, here’s what I got so far:


PHYSICAL

Bicep Curls
1,300 / 5,000


Butterfly curls
1,300 / 5,000


Pushups
1,300 / 5,000


Sit-ups
2,350 / 10,000


Jumping Jacks
3,850 / 10,000


Squats
2,300 / 10,000


Miles run/walked
1 / 100


Yoga classes
N/A


Meditation/Reflection/Goal setting hours
1 / 100


I finally bought me some real running shoes so I don’t mess up my legs with the crappy sneakers I have. I’m also more aware that I REALLY have to work on meditating but yoga might be a pursuit I either drop or do on my own sans classes because these aren’t the times to be spending money on yoga classes. A note though, it’s a lot harder to find time to meditate than I thought it would be, but finally started doing it. I actually changed it up a bit so I’m able to really make good on the 100 hours since I need more discipline to achieve a goal of pure meditation but instead of scrapping it, I added aspects of reflection and goal setting which I think could be very helpful.


PROFESSIONAL


Freelance jobs
4 of 10 (just finished one two weeks ago and almost snagged a good one but the guy was either flaky, a cheapskate or thinks I'm too much of a kid for his taste. Sincerely, I have better things to do than wait for a flip flopper.)


Work proposals
2 of 10 approved

8 more in the pipeline

The small ideas were adopted while the bigger ones were “left to discuss later”. So that means I have to touch base again to see if I can’t get my stuff done for a change.

Work on portfolio
N/A

Artist friends are too busy to work on their portfolio and I might be forced to do this on my own. Dang. Though to be honest, I’m more worried about my other projects than this particular one.

RECAP:
Almost half way there regarding freelance jobs so I’m happy with that but would definitely like to have a better success rate at proposals at work. Let’s see if I can give better news soon.


ACTIVITIES:


Surf Sessions
17 / 50

Conditions have been subpar and though I’ve had some great sessions this year, the last one I had was just pathetic to watch. Feeling the need to redeem myself next time out whenever Poseidon deems me worthy of good waves.


Swim / bodysurf / water activities
3 / 10

Went paddle boarding with my brother in a lagoon to get the feel of the board and have had two mini bodysurfing sessions. Pretty cool though I’ve yet to have a super bodysurf session, but fifteen waves is a good ballpark even if they are small waves. Want a juicy session to work on those skills though.

Local tourism
N/A

No plans yet. When I get my credit card all paid for I'll start doing a couple of fancy trips with ma Mrs. Who knows, summertime might just be THE time. We’ll see.

Concerts
0 / 5

Wow, no concerts and it’s June. So sad.


Trips
0 / 2

None yet, something about getting H1N1 that makes traveling questionable… though knowing me I might just keel in to the temptation of watching a good live concert and tempt fate.

Writing with Pen & Paper
Could write more but not completely negligent. Let’s see if I can keep working on the book and looking for an excuse to spurt some ink. :)



Movies
9 / 40


Paul Blart: Mall Cop – I thought this was going to be a gut busting good time. All that ended up getting busted was my wallet from this middle of the road ho hum movie.

Angels and Demons – I still have a review pending on this one on my other blog, I will sum it up by saying that if you’re looking for a faithful book adaptation, you’d be better off looking elsewhere.

The Wrestler – Aronofsky brilliance strikes again. He has a talent to leave your gut wrenched after the final scene of everyone of his movies, but great storytelling is something he’s REALLY strong at.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Just in case, THIS should have been the movie of the year at the Academy Awards. Yes I enjoyed Slumdog, but it’s no Ben Button. Sorry.

Coraline – One of the most gratifying cinematographic experiences in my life. Words can’t begin to describe how much I absolutely adored this movie and as an animation feature it stands tall and proud among the elite, often times surpassing movies that made five times as much money.

Slumdog Millionaire – Great movie. Predictable at times, but great. Good music (good not great). Interesting cinematography, feel good story. Bollywood has never had such a Hollywood ending or Hollywood has never had such a Bollywood feel. I’m still debating which way is right.

Watchmen – A big blue penis could not take away from the fabulous acting of some of the most memorable comic book characters never to have been to an mutant academy.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine – THE definition of a Popcorn movie. Fast pace, rushed storyline, great special effects, good fights, and some plot holes thrown in for good measure. All in all, a good two and half star movie.

Star Trek – holy mama… let’s just sum this up by asking why wasn’t JJ Abrams hired to film the Last 3 Star Wars.



Watch DVD’s I’ve bought

Lost Seasons 1-3 (Already on Season 4) – I got bit bad by the Lost bug… and it’s deliciously painful.

Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life – A true comedy classic showing just how smart stupid can be.

Twin Peaks series (both seasons+pilot) – Weird, campy, odd, interesting and definitely worth a second watch, if only to transcribe the log lady intros.

Pi – So real and weird it’s scary. Aronofsky in Black and white. Brilliant.

Escape from New York – Kurt Russell and John Carpenter can do no wrong… well in the 80’s at least.

Inland Empire – If you don’t like Lynch, there is nothing here for your enjoyment. Turn on the weird and tune out the world.

Videogames finished
9 / 20


Zakk and Wikki – Quest for Barbaro’s Treasure – Wii – One of the most enjoyable videogaming experiences in my life. Odd, quirky and one of the games that best makes use of the Wiimote.

Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes – Game Cube – Great game, classic storyline, steep learning curve and just plain fun.

Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty – PS2 – Weirder storyline than the first game but better controls overall.

Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater – PS2 – Best MGS I’ve played and I one of my 3 favorite boss fights ever in gaming. Memorable characters, great score, revamped controls, added features and more MGS fun than you can shake your silenced stick at.

Kingdom Hearts – It took me two years to finally decide to finish this game. Not bad at all, but for some reason I just found it hard to even want to finish the damn thing.

Final Fantasy 1 – Throwback RPG that will try your patience regarding redundant battles and possibly the weakest game ending I’ve ever been exposed to.

Jak and Daxter The Precursor Legacy – Great platforming is not easy to do and standing out is even harder but Jak’s first installment made an excellent impression on me. Fun gameplay, great graphics and just fun to play through.

Jak 2 – huge world but lack of direction takes away from this title. Much more engrossing and much more serious storyline but still very solid. My main problem was the whole hovercraft torture of the game.

Jak 3 – Takes all the problems from Jak 2 and SOLVES them. Rarely have I seen a sequel be THAT responsible in addressing all issues regarding a previous installment. The best, funniest, tightest and more entertaining Jak in the series.

About to start: Resident Evil 4

Books read
5/20 – I lowered the number to 20 to have a more realistic goal, though now that I’m off and running I might make better progress.


2nd book of The Bartimeus Trilogy – The Golem’s Eye – Good continuation to the story but not as good as the first one.

3rd book of the Bartimeus Trilogy – Ptolemy’s Gate – A hell of an ending and the no holds barred installment of the story. Great character development, interesting twists and an ending that will have you nodding in approval, even if it is anything but Hollywood.

The Wind in the Willows – A book most people should read for the exercise of character development especially in the characters of Badger, Mole and of course, that crazy Toad. Not to forget the Water Rat, but the other characters were very complete and it was amazing to read since this is a kid’s story with all the limitations seen in most children’s book (mainly skipping months in three lines and not having a good grasp on timing).

Fahrenheit 451 – Scary how this reads like it was written yesterday. Brilliant book though the ending drags a bit. One of those books whose brilliance stems from the development much more than the ending.

Angels and Demons – Better movie than Da Vinci, but lesser a book. Some lines and scenes read like something a teenager would write to be honest. If you hate me for saying that, by all means defend the Helicopter jump scene or the last line of the book. I dare you.

Currently on: Nightwatch – Excellent sci fi fantasy read.


Playing guitar

Not playing five times a week necessarily, but doing pretty good and sometimes playing more than an hour to make up for lost time. More than anything I just need to get in the groove but I do miss jamming with friends.


ACQUISITIVE:


Get new computer

Was getting to breaking point. Had a friend check it and after he laughed at my RAM, we sorted out to buy two RAM components for my comp and a new fan while deleting Norton CrappyVirus. Seems there is still salvation for the comp so will hold out until I get my own place.


Net connection

I finally have a real connection. Lord bless DSL and Death to dial up.


Digital recorder

No news on this, might wait to buy a comp for that, but still on my mind. Let’s see what I do.

Digital Camera

I’d made the transaction, I’d sent the money and the cam never arrived. Awesome work by the USPS on trying to rip me off but I got my money back. Now I just have to hope that the economy in turmoil has one upside in lower prices for capricious buys.


MONETARY


Save Money

Well, paying wedding stuff is not letting me save much money, but I do have some in the bank lol.


Payments
Everything’s on time and then some but this entry is a good reminder so I don’t screw up.


Mom’s cakes
Does buying materials and helping with deliveries count? Because though I want to help with some other type of promotion, a crapped up comp has been a pain in the bud to say the least.



Donations
Still up $200 but looking for something else I can donate to, might even donate time for a change since I finally have some to give.


KNOWLEDGE:

Learn / record songs
I remember saying I wouldn’t botch this resolution, working to accomplish just that but not so easy because I’m doing a great job at botching at the moment.


Learn Random Info
Still planning on writing a series about the random stuff I read on a regular basis.



Read the news
I’m up to date baby. Could also do some posts on random news, but prefer to read on Thinking in Vain.


Retake French
Still failing at starting up on this but hey, there are a lot of things on the agenda… wow I’ve started making excuses. Will buy a French book before June is over.



Dance classes
N/A Need to look into info pronto.



WRITING:


WAS posts
76 / 200

Thanks to Fortune Cookies, rants and overall lunacy, I’m able to break out of blocks. I’m pretty sure I can make the number easy. I’m super pacing myself but I’m way on my way to the goal.


Posts in other blogs
13 + 8 / 100

Keeping quite busy in the blog writing sense of the word. This is one of three blogs, the others being Why Advertising Sucks and Laser Eater.

Finish book
Finally finished chapter 37 am working on chapter 38. I’m pretty happy with how it’s coming along but wow it’s a weird process for me to say the least.


Write short stories
0 / 10
I read that zero and get angry at myself and my computer, though mostly at myself. Let’s hope I have better news to report soon.

Essay project
0 / 20
I’m lazing off on this. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH.



Draft story arcs
0 / 3
Haven’t had much time to work on this, but written down some ideas. Want to do it a bit more structured.


WAS Movie
Still pending
Still got good ideas but haven’t organized it all.


Progress reports
3/ 12
Because of connection and comp issues, I’ve lazed off quite a bit so I will have to make mid month reports just to be able to accomplish this goal.


Standup piece
N/A – Still haven’t found a place to put this in agenda.


Be more positive
Being positive and getting frustrated and angry apparently coexist in me. Have had a few days where I just want to send everything to hell, but regarding a lot of things, I’m working on staying as positive as possible.



Forgive people
I don’t have time to waste on being angry at people who did anything to me at any point. I forgave them and put them out of my mind.


Negative energy
Finding some things that get on my nerves from time to time and I’m trying to manage it better. Maybe tensions are building or maybe too many things to fix at the same time but working on working things out with a smile.


Loving my fiancée

Loving her is easy but working on us staying positive and focused on all the things we have pending is something of a challenge, but I know we can do anything if we just stay positive and focused. Love you baby.

Cheers

Eating old School: Mr. T Cereal

If you think about it, there are so many random things you loved eating as a child. Don't fool yourself, you know it's true. From Turtle pies, to disgusting sugar filled cereals to pretty much any carbonated creation this side of reality. So that got me thinking, why not document the random things I miss from my childhood that I'd love to get my teeth on just one more time. First on the list: Mr. T Cereal



I pitty the fool who don't like Mr. T cereal. There was no jibba jabbah when it came to a balanced breakfast and gum raking prowess. You wanted sugar, no problem, you wanted crunch, you got it, you wanted fluffy poop, coming right up. Ahhhh the beauty of nostalgia is that it's just as delicious as it was when you first had it.

Cheers

Your life is one long canvas

If you think about it, that title kind of makes sense. You just need an open mind to grasp it. First off, instead of your traditional canvas, think to cavemen times where people drew on walls. They started telling a story from picture to picture, from wall to wall until an entire saga spread throughout the wall. Now think of a papyrus scroll which was just one long sheet of paper. Now think that your life is one long sprawling papyrus scroll which you draw on.

Ok, so that might be a little weird but think of it in terms of writing from left to right (unless you're from the East, in which you'd go from right to left.

You start as a baby, you draw gibberish, stains, incomprehensible lines and curves that make no sense. You might even tear parts of the paper off or stain it with baby food or cheetos. Slowly you see the drawnings start to take shape, make more sense. Scribbles and doodles, but something more linear, coherent even.

You keep drawing because you don't have a choice. You start to introduce color, things you see influence you but it's still your perspective, your eye and your life that's going on paper. More colors, a specific gammet of color and you start to see real beauty. That's your perception. The more you live, the more complex it is. You see a trail of paint and look back to the beginning and can hardly make it out, and you only remember the really special parts of what you drew. the rest is just emotion, of how it made you feel and the general overall feeling you had way back when. You use crayons, pencils, carbon, stencils, aerosols, oleos and pretty much anything you can use to create or document if you will. The canvas grows, gets smaller, swerves and takes different shapes.

Some days you paint vibrantly, other times minimallistically. Some days you draw landscapes, followed by people, followed by to do lists and numbers. Album covers appear along movie posters, musical notes and song lyrics become headlines and comments. It gets more and more complex and though you are focused on the moment, you know what you've done and you know what you want to do even if it's only partial memory and planning.

Your story can then include a specific topic, a woman, a man, and for a period of time, that's all that is shown there. Add to that a dog or a cat, maybe even a bird. You see circles, bands, flying rice, and cans dragging across rough pavement.

You start seeing flashes of blue or pink, a baby is shown, and smiles and tears, and bottles and rattles, appear..... Then the changes start to get quicker in your artwork. You go from baby, to child, to adolescent, to adult. The woman that was appearing or the man start sprouting spots of grey and it takes more lines to draw them, especially around the eyes. One moment you see a full house, then it gets empty.

Shadows and greys start coming more into focus and the strength in the lines grow softer. Things that used to take three feet to draw are now drawn out for meters. Little details start popping in and repeats of the same images start showing these details missing at times and present others. Colors fade, the lines get softer and it all gets lighter and lighter. Finally the images start getting smaller, and smaller, infinitely smaller. It gets to the point where the naked eye only sees a small line, but that line used to be a full life, full of color and wonder and now to the layman it's just a line, a simple line, a flat line... but that? That will always be a full life.

I wish anyone who reads this a long life, full of color and wonder. Full of changes and styles, full of perspective, of shade, or points of view, of ups and downs, of small details and large ideas.

Cheers

29 tips to happiness

Seeing as I'll be turning 29 in about a month and a half, I wanted to give a shot at trying to sound smart about life and giving 29 tips of how to be happy. Some people might think it's a huge number, some might think it is tiny, but what's definitely for sure is that I'll be twenty nine in august, so here's my 29 tips to live a happy or happier life.

1. Exercise. yes this sounds cliché and like a crappy way to start a list of things to be happy. But facts don't lie, people who exercise are generally happier than people who don't. So find your niche and get them glutes nice and toned.
2. Drink more water. I dunno, something tells me that people might think this sounds stupid. But actually, the more water you drink (reasonably don't go OD'ing on water) the more you eliminate stuff (AKA Toxins that can actually lead to Debbie Downer moments).
3. Eat junk food from time to time. This might seem a contradiction to what I say above but damn, there needs to be some yang for all the healthy stuff you eat. sometimes you need a Twinkie, a Krispy Kreme donut or a huge slurpee. So by all means, indulge from time to time.
4. Don't rush sex. Ok this one seems out of left field, but hell, how many people don't you say that you wish they would just get laid so they'd leave you alone? Well guess what, often times this could actually be true. So please, have sex responsibly and don't rush it because the only benefit of going fast with sex is chafing, premature ejaculation, possible fractures and a disgruntled partner.
5. Be a kid from time to time. I posted about this a while back and insist that people do this. We take ourselves WAYYYYYY to seriously and really need to lighten up.
6. Live AND work, don't work to live or live to work. People's priorities are so messed up in this day and age that it's a miracle ANYTHING gets done with a smile.
7. Look at the big picture AND the small picture. If you focus on the macro aspect of reality, you'll be dwarfed by it and miss out on small moments to treasure a lifetime and if you focus on the micro, you won't see the magic of a well oiled machine.
8. Go to the movies or rent movies. With the variety of entertainment we have at our disposal, we might as well make the most of it and actually learn a few things about movies.... which gets me thinking....
9. Read more. I know you love to twitter and facebook, but rather, grab a real book and read. Read for fun, for education, for curiosity. The more you do, the better off you'll be.
10. Find at least one creative outlet. Lots of people who hate their existence just don't have anything to do with their free time. Us humans have millions of ways to do pretty much anything. Put that freedom to good use.
11. Travel. Be it Disney or Barcelona. Just make sure you travel from time to time. change your surroundings, explore and disregard the temptation of closing yourself off at home so you don't get swine flu.
12. Read news rather than watch it. Pay attention to what interests you and do yourself a favor and at best glance at murder reports. The news is completely depressing and you need to filter out the bad stuff once in a while.
13. Find a job you can at least tolerate. If you're constantly dragging yourself to work you WILL get cancer, even if it's just a benign tumor on your sense of humor.
14. Watch cartoons. Though today's cartoons rather suck, youtube and netflix are your solution. revisit your childhood and giggle at the stuff that made you giggle as a child.
15. Dare to love. Some people get hurt in their lives and then close themselves out to the rest of the world. That makes just about as much sense as taking a sip of water, choking on it and then saying you won't drink water ever again.
16. Drop grudges. They are a waste of time and energy and you won't get much for all the effort you put into hating someone. Trust me.
17. Have nice dinners for no reasons whatsoever. Dining fancy shouldn't be limited to anniversaries or to make up for some screw up.
18. Don't settle. With your job, with whoever you're going out with, with life in general. if you want something work for it but....
19. Know when to cut your losses. Perserverance is admirable but after a while it's just being stubborn. Give it your best shot, try and try again but if conditions don't change one bit, you'd better serve yourself to change focus
20. Get a hobby and meet people who share that hobby. There's nothing better than interacting with your kin :)
21. Do breathing exercises. Sometimes you just need to take a deep breath and think clearly rather than forcing something.
22. Learn from everything and never stop learning. The more you know, the more tools you'll have to be happy because at the very least you'll have something to talk about.
23. Multitask less. Try focusing your energies on one thing and you'll see you'll do it better. Maybe slower yes, but more often than not, MUCH better.
24. Go with the flow. Adaptability is admirable and enjoying the moment, WHATEVER moment comes your way is a one way ticket to being happy with your circumstances.
25. Write old friends, get in touch with them and occassionally stay in touch with them.
26. If you have something on your mind, share it respectfully. Otherwise you'll spend a life asking yourself whatif, and trust me, that drains you more than you know.
27. Listen to all types of music but recognize your favorite albums and learn the lyrics by heart. Singing, even if you're terrible at it is liberating. It uses energy and emotion and clicking with something like a great song is just awesome. So be a Shower Idol, grab that shampoo bottle and let her rip.
28. Laugh at yourself. Do goofy things, have a sense of humor and let yourself enjoy life. After all, it is your right.
29. Look at things from various points of view. Don't be objective... hell it's impossible, but do practice empathy. It'll help you understand where people are coming from.

And remember, if you gotta go... you know the rest.

Cheers

First Drafts #2: Claro oscuro

Claro oscuro


Soy un claro claro-oscuro.
Un farináceo entre el café.
Bien nutrido y fragmentado,
Un latido de conocimiento y saber.

Rodeado por impares y asemejantes,
Gente rica de cuentas y pobre de danza.
O millonaria de problemas y quebrados de paz.

Esos son mis compañeros insulares.
Regueteando y martineando,
Mercedeando mientras las Yaris se dan.
Y Pujando el vellón petrolero
Aunque por muchos, que la vida se FJ.

Esto no es conmigo,
Esto no es con nadie.
El tsunami no viene y el huracán va a pichear.
La economía llora menos en Plaza
Que de plazo a plazo y cheque a cheque
La quiebra se pone más de moda y las deudas su mejor combete.

A beber y conguear pa la huelga,
A rogar por el ay bendito del buen Sam-aritano.
Beneficios disfrazados,
Corrupción al abierto;
Esa es mi patria
Y aunque la borinqueña se me olvida,
El son de Harris no se me pasa.

Con golpe al pecho y codos a la marcha,
El espíritu boricua se revuelca a sus raíces.
La tribu To Pa Mí,
Que yo quiero hacer un CD.
Con bachateo o sandungueo,
Aunque nunca piense y menos leo.

Esos son los compañeros de clases
Altas y bajas
A medias y mal queridas.
Que a tos le da porcina
Y abusan hasta de la aspirina.

Sobrepoblados de automóviles,
Con sequía de compasión.
Un guaynabito para algunos
Un negro disfrazado pa los gringos.
Heme aquí soleando y tramando,
Nadando en un asopao de taponazo
Y buscando los clavos empeñados
Que por cobre que no cobraron,
A la cruz se los tumbaron.

Aquí tienes tu isla del espanto,
Que de calor humano se perdió lo que había,
Por las plantas de energías
Y la sobre cosecha del egoísmo.

Así soy, un claro claro-oscuro
Entre un mar de blancos de censo
Y negros de pura sepa.
Que por complejos se alisan
Y por falta de amor propio se medican.

Heme aquí.
El claro claro-oscuro.
Que claro que soy oscuro,
Pero menos claro que Lavoe.
Que ese cantaba de corazón y de vena pura,
Aunque la maléfica acupuntura se la dañó.

Pero así somos,
Así seremos
Y en senderos de la historia
Así quedaremos.

Viviendo de shopper a shopper
Dejando nada para la posteridad
Sembrando Verdes, Medallas y las Balas Plateadas,
Reforestando el mangle de Pampers
Saludando con buqué de tampones,
Y devolviendo los terrenos a las Indias Maltas.

Soy un claro claro-oscuro,
Que aunque me las juegue de claro,
Ni idea tengo del futuro.

FIrst Drafts #1: Untitled

En un mar de dudas me ahogo en contestaciones
Cada una real y tangible
Cada una ideal y reemplazable.
Confusión con redención,
disfunción en aprehensión.

Es que cada día es un rumbo sin mapa,
Es que cada vida es un atardecer sin sol.
Del meridiano de mi alma,
Defino y redefino lo real.

Todo es relativo,
Nada es ajeno.
Habré de llegar al siglo
O seré un respiro en la existencia.

El sentido se me escapa,
La vereda de tu mirada me cerca en fronteras subjetivas.
Entre el parentesco de un paréntesis
Cerrándome del mundo pero abriéndome al cielo y al infierno.

Estas son tus opciones,
He aquí la ilusión de libertad.
Escoge tu futuro,
O pierde tu ser en el mar.

First Dratfs

I'm going to be posting some of my poetry or short rants that are a First Draft. No proofing. No editing. This is as much an experiment to see my thouhgts in raw as it is to push myself to be better off the first time out of the gate. As per usual, I'm a bilingual guy, so poems and rants will be in Engish, Spanish and or both. So let's see what turns out.