From a bird to my father

I was sitting at his table, in his kitchen, watching the yard through the opened door. The small room was lit by shining sun rays.
Suddenly, I turned my eyes towards a bird and stared at the grass where the little brown feathered sparrow was searching for food. It was immediately surrounded by others, which eagerly sank their beaks in the grass and took them out, shortly afterwards, holding bread crumbs or seeds tightly. While doing this, they chirpped and flapped their wings in an exciting manner.
Unexpectedly, he was there, as every day at six in the afternoon softening bread in water and spreading it onto the grass. Afterwards, he sat in the kitchen and watched with delight the feast.
He enjoyed doing this evey day as if he were giving a party for many guests.
He was my father and I am sure his soul is near God...

The Curse by Arthur C. Clarke

The Curse is rather a sad story; it reflects death and quietness everywhere in a city in which a bomb has been dropped. It makes me remember what happened during the second world war in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Nothing remains alive after a nuclear explosion. Thousands of people die; thousands are seriously injured.
Radioactivity has severe effects on climate and environment. And these negative effects last for years.
Only gravestones can be seen in the story and they are sign of death and memories.
The author establishes here a paralell with Shakespeare's life. He is dead but he will be always alive in his comedies and dramas that are constantly represented by actors throughout the world. At the same time, the nuclear attack to this city and its consequences will be remembered for ever.

Poems written by me

"List" poem

THE TOP TEN OF FIRST GRADE

.frightened children

.anxious parents

.welcoming teachers

.old school buildings

.cheerful voices

.singing bells

.snow white pinafors

.jumping the rope

.brand new notebooks

.sweet unforgetable memories.

"I am from" poem

I am from a warm, cosy home

I am daughter of love

I was born in freedom

I believe in angels

I dream of brotherhood

I hate censorship and starvation

I am from a sensitive world

"Image" poem

Awake mum, awake

Come here again,

Embrace me

Touch me

Kissed me

Listen to me

Let me hear your sensible voice

Fill the air with your scent

Stay with me for ever

These three poems have to do with my life. The first one tries to describe my years at primary school. The second reflects my feelings about the way I grew up.

The last tries to express that a mother is always needed in spite of her physical absence.

Poems written by me

LIST POEM

Why did I choose this poem?

I chose this poem because it describes spring, a season which has special effects on every human being, from children to elder. All of us are touched magically by a fairy and as birds do, we want to fly and sing.
Our hopes are reborn like plants blossom and our soul and heart are full of joy.
Every September I look in amazement the peach, apricot and plum trees of my garden covered with pink and white flowers and I feel happy.

XVIII century poem

LA PRIMAVERA

Ya alegra la campiña
la fresca primavera;
el bosque y la pradera
renuevan su verdor.
Con silbo de las ramas
los árboles vecino
sacompañan los trinos
del dulce ruiseñor.
Este es el tiempo, Silvio,
el tiempo del amor.
Escucha cual susurra
el arroyuelo manso;
al sueño y al descanso
convida su rumor.
¡Qué amena está la orilla!
¡Qué clara la corriente!
¿Cuándo exhaló el ambiente
más delicioso olor?
Este es el tiempo, Silvio,
el tiempo del amor.
Más bulla y más temprana
alumbra ya la aurora;
el sol los campos dora
con otro resplandor.
Desnúdanse los montes
del duro y triste hielo,
y vístese ya el cielo
de más vario color.
Este es el tiempo, Silvio,
el tiempo del amor.
Las aves se enamoran,
los peces, los ganados,
y aun se aman enlazados
el árbol y la flor.
Naturaleza toda,
cobrando nueva vida,
aplaude la venida
de mayo bienhechor.
Este es el tiempo, Silvio,
el tiempo del amor.

Tomas de Iriarte

Why did I choose this poem?

The first time I read one of Sor Juana's poems, I had recently finished the secondary school.
I got very impressed by the way she writes. She says what she thinks without being afraid of any punishment or censorship, in a time during which writing was forbidden for women.
This poem refers to jealousy, a feeling that usually interferes with lovers causing doubts, uncertainty and unhappyness.
It likes me because of its simplicity and rhythm.

XV century poem

ESTA TARDE MI BIEN

Esta tarde, mi bien, cuando te hablaba,
como en tu rostro y tus acciones vía
que con palabras no te persuadía,
que el corazón me vieses deseaba;

y Amor, que mis intentos ayudaba,
venció lo que imposible parecía:
pues entre el llanto, que el dolor vertía,
el corazón deshecho destilaba.

Baste ya de rigores, mi bien, baste:
no te atormenten más celos tiranos,
ni el vil recelo tu inquietud contraste

con sombras necias, con indicios vanos,
pues ya en líquido humor viste y tocaste
mi corazón deshecho entre tus manos.

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

Imagine

Imagine there's no heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world...

You may say

I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will live as one.

John Lennon

Tales in the sand by Neil Gaiman: Dreaming

'I will marry you, Nada, and make you queen of my Dream World, to rule the dreams of all that dream by my side, to be with me forever, never to die as mankind know death ... And every living thing that could dream dreamed of love.

And you, why don't you try?

Psychologists say that the first step to reach something is to propose it or to have in mind.
You have to think in what you dream because if you have ideals you will find the strengh that will help you to manage them, to make them real.
It is important to go step by step, starting with smaller projects which goals are easier to achieve. This will help you to believe in yourself, in your possibilities of success. The way is not easy because nowadays the cultre of perseverance is disappearing and patience and constancy, qualities that let your wishes to be fulfilled, are not valued.

Sueña

Sueña

con un mañana

un mundo nuevo

debe llegar

Ten fé

es muy posible

si tú estás

decidido

Sueña

que no existen fronteras

y amor sin barreras

no mires atrás

Vive

con la emoción

de volver

a sentir,

a vivir

la paz

Siembra

en tu camino

un nuevo destino

y el sol brillará

Donde

las almas se unan en luz

la bondad y el amor

renacerán

Y el día que encontremos

ese sueño cambiarás

no habrá nadie

que destruya de tu alma

la verdad

Ten fé

es muy posible

si tú estás

decidido

Sueña

con un mundo distinto

donde todos los días

el sol brillará

Donde

las almas se unan en luz

la bondad y el amor

renacerán

Sueña, sueña tú...

Sueña

Luis Miguel - K. Cibrian - G. Flores - A. Menken

Tales in the sand by Neil Gaiman

Boule de Suif.

The story retreats France during the Franco-Prussian war and explores morality and ethics in a divided society. During that time , some individuald are given permits to leave Rouen. They gathered together in a hotel and get ready to start their trip to Le-Havre.
Members of a high social class looked down on a courtesan, Boule de Suif, forgetting their own sins.

Meditations for Teachers

Dear teacher and mates:

I would like to share this maxims with you since I think they provide welcome doses of positive reinforcements to the act of teaching.

• We gain more knowledge about a subject and how to teach it from our pupils than from any book.

• "Every September is like Christmas, and every student, a surprise gift to open" Mary Vissilikou Bicouvaris (1989 - U.S.A Teacher of the Year)

• "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tells where his influence stops" Henry Brooks Adams

• "A child whith low self-esteem has no reason to respect anyone else. First, teach children of their own value. They will then understand how to respect others"

Tales in the sand by Neil Gaiman

I love tales! True or imaginary ones, transport my soul into other places, into remote times.

I enjoy being in a cosy room and listening to tales from the elders. My parents used to tell me vivid stories about their childhood; they were full of images and sweet memories.

During kindergarten years, I usually read fairy tales to my little daughters at bed-time; they looked at the colourful pictures with delight and as I turned over the pages of the book and magical things happened, they closed their eyes and fell asleep dreaming of a fantastic world.

Neil Gaiman refers to the tales that are transmitted from one generation to another and let the members of a community be united by strong feelings, under a common culture. Through his lines we can notice that the elders' opinions and rights are respected as coming from knowledge and wisdom.

In this story tale addressed to teenagers entering manhood, different themes are developed: love, dreams, destiny, death, destruction ...

What are reading and writing for me?

For me, reading is a tool that gives me the possibility yo know what is happening in the changing world where we live, that is to be informed.

It is the best way I know to avoid feeling lonely, to think, to grow wings and try to fly.

Writing is a tool which helps me to communicate with people who are not present.

It gives me the opportunity to express feelings and dreams and to say those things I'm perhaps afraid to say.

This is my family! My husband Ricardo, my daughters Florencia, Cecilia, Emilia, Cecilia's boy friend and our pet, Pipo.

The photo is taken at Cecilia's birthday on April, 23rd.