Poems from the boat

사모님 (aka Dona Rute) kept saying she wonders how a daughter like me came from my 얌전한, 평범한 and seemingly average parents. I wrote a poem called “1+1=Me” in response. I miss my parents and Jelly, back in LA. I am realizing more and more what fantastic parents I have. Here’s the poem below.

His nose
Her hair
His peculiarities
Her mentalities
Engrained deeply
In my DNA
Like a stain
That won’t go away
So though you think
That they’re MIA
I am certain they’re in me.
Because of them,
I’m here today.


Then I wrote some more because Nelson wanted to know how to write poems and though I don’t really know either, we had a little writing session. I also wrote 2 songs in Portuguese about the Rio Negro and pineapple, with Nelson’s help – maybe you’ll hear them someday.

I liked to eat chicken taquito
Until I stopped being poquito
Now I’m delicious to mosquito

If I were a carioca,
I’d eat tapioca,
And maybe go louca.


And then I wrote one for each one of my 4 buddies on the boat. Nelson just graduated from high school and came from São Paulo with his mom, 양 집사님. Sam is about the same age and came from New Jersey. Melanie just graduated from college and is from the same church as Sam. And you already know Sharon. I’m so happy that we got to be friends on this boat trip and though we only spent a total of 18 days together, I feel like I’ve known them for years. We made a great team. I fall in love too easily.

Nelson-
Thinking he cannot write,
he dims his own light.
Like the little engine
who said he can,
if only he would understand.
Poetry at its core,
are just thoughts
that won’t leave you,
like pesky moths.

My ham of a friend Sam
has recently gotten a tan
and would like to be a man
and go home when he can

Meh-lah-nie
Needs to be a mommy
So she can make salami
And sing about Bonnie

Not wanting to be barren
She wants to find another missionário
And fly like a heron
To populate the Amazon
Sharon