Argentina

The place that you miss every day you're away;
The place....
Where you begin your life of spray-on and roly-poly deodorants.
Where knocking on the doors means clapping.
Where they burn the basura.
Where bread accompanies every meal,
Where the meat is the best part, but you are so excited to eat broccoli.
Where you wish everyone just knew the Law of Chastity.
Where there are kiosks on every block.
Where lunch is the big meal.
Where each region has a distinct accent and its own tune.
Where everything is affirmed, pues,
Where the "s"' are dropped.
Where you are overjoyed when you find a recycling bin.
Where you feel like a legit missionary with your tag flapping and your skirt blowing as you travel the dirt roads.
Where you could win a speed-walking competition every day.
Where there is dulce de leche!
Where there are facturas.
Where the dogs reproduce like rabbits.
Where you help people repent and feel joy.
Where no one answers the door during the siesta.
Where you can watch someone kill a chicken in her yard.
Where grass is cut with machetes and weed-whackers.
Where your milk comes in a bag and it's almost impossible not to spill.
Where you are eaten alive by mosquitoes,
And your knees are whiter than Wonder bread,
But you don't even care
Because you love it there!

Al Gran Pueblo Argentino, Salud!

This pretty much sums up how I feel about Argentina.

There and Back Again

A Poemist’s Tale by Smelly Ogre

Three suitcases,

Three sticks of deodorant,

And three flights later…

This chicka returned to her place of origin.

It was the best—going far west

Across the ocean blue.

She got a passport for fun of all sorts

And 15 time zones away she flew.

First was Hong Kong—she didn’t stay long

But, oh!  What a beautiful view.

Next was Shenzhen—learned counting to ten

And had her first duck to chew.

Singin’ her song, she went to Zhenjiang

To the best liaison and school she knew.

Her students were cutest.  Though some couldn’t be muted,

She loved them all anywho.

So much to explore; how could she want more?

She always found something new

And went lots of places with the crew:

Nanjing was first—thanks to church

How they loved to go themselves to renew.

At their Shanghai debut, they learned some Kung Fu

And saw Western seats in the loo.

They went to Xitang—got their Mission Impossible on

Trav’ling in China they hadn’t a clue.

On the way to Xian, the train floor a girl peed on

(Good thing they stocked lots of tissue).

That trip—their trav’ling breakthrough!

Stairs up Huangshan, more rainy than planned…

But the scene with awe them imbued.

Suzhou* was chill—wand’ring at will.

In Yangzhou they went to the zoo.

And her trip to Beijing where she did her own thing

Was what her whole time in China led up to.  

The time arrived when she said goodbye.

With this she had an issue.

She had made lots of friends and didn’t want it to end

But her time was nigh overdue.

For she fell in love (what a blessing from above)

With a land that is home to bamboo.

Needing a last hurrah, grateful for what she saw,

She re-gifted some Asian shampoo.

Then she said, “中国, Adieu.  We’ll keep in touch on QQ!”

She went slightly insane getting on that plane,

But she made it back in one piece, not two.

And now she is back with many a task,

Unsure of what will ensue.

But she’ll say, “China, I miss you.

I will always remember our grand adventure

For you taught me things of great value.”

But what strikes her most—of such she can boast,

Is how much her life has been moved.

Hobbit-Style Door Reminiscence

*Indicates a breach in the chronological order of the trips she took.