swimming in a pool in the rain
duck dive, a few powerful dolphin kicks, deep within and beneath the turquoise, channeling my inner ‘man from atlantis’
break the surface, air gulp, flip over onto back, lily pad float
the torrential rain pummels and pelts, pooling in eye sockets, cleansing, baptismal
ricocheting, with some force, off my third eye
lotus lotus, om mani padme om, jewell in the lotus lotus
i am part bing crosby, part one of those 1930’s synchronised swimmers… a solo synchronised swimmer?
curiously ungainly on land, in the water i am slee-eeek, creature of grace and flow
next, with a whoop, it’s up and down the water slide, a deceptive hurtle!!!
the waiter comes out to smile, i am the days only customer… earlier, camaraderie, both staring mournful aghast at the continual downpour
trees, awnings, almost everything drips and ripples, a constant kerplonk
mucho juvia… deluge
…………..
yep hotel kin ha, palenque, halfway along the road to las ruinas
actually a motel, think whams club tropicana meets crossroads. i the love child twixt andrew ridgley and benny?
really like it here… a huge sprawling site, littered with concrete faux mayan sculptures, half the huts derelict, mildewed and overgrown, a solemn recognition that one day, one day soon, the jungle will take back everything
these weird baby hippo like creatures scurry by, i guess they are some sort of rodent on steroids? humming birds, as small as butterflies, supping at preposterous blowsy flowers,
parakeets ungainly flap overhead, a terrific screech
oh and howler monkeys, at sunset, their guttural growls competing with, blending into, the cacophony of mexican kids at the on site roller disco… not tonight tho, a different tenure of howl when soggy bedraggled
at tikal i saw toucans!!! TOUCANS!
rain days… days to pause and reflect… out of time, out of place, out of time, out of place… reflect on what? no blooming idea! which, with the soft subtle forgiveness of sunset, I guess, is completely as it should be
……..
oh and i’m guffawing my way through the audio version of ‘my family and other animals’, not my usual taste, must have read it, and loved it when i was 12… comfortable, soothing for the soul
