Lacking Poetry

This is an old poem that I wrote when I was still living in Sarasota. Just thought I would throw it out there. To the lions it goes!

Aleph

I always wondered if there is in real life, alike in the movies, that moment right before one’s death, when their entire life crosses in front of their eyes. Is it possible for our brain to defy time, gravity, Physics, and all the Einsteins, and Newtons, and others of their kind? As you can see, I haven’t died — thankfully! — but something happened the other night, and now I can assure you the answer is yes.
I was awakening from my evening nap, and it happened right on that instant when I was getting out of my dreams and back to reality. I’m not sure if I was wide awake, or still dreaming; if my eyes were open or closed; if that wall was there all the time and I saw everything printed in it, or it just began to exist when I came out of my dream. But I don’t think this really matters, after all how can one ever be sure of what is real, what is dream? What matters is what I saw, and now I’ll give you an account of it.
I say the streets of every city, loud and crowded, with their several bars, pubs, and restaurants; then I saw the cafés in the world, the ones I’ve been too, and I saw the funny, or philosophical, or stupid moments I had there with friends, and I realized that my life also can be somehow measured in coffee spoons; Then I saw my mom as she looked two years ago, the time I had last seen her; then I saw what she was doing in that present moment, and I felt relieved, because she looked fine; and I saw that she does wait for my calls, and that she has gained wrinkles around her eyes, and that her eyes too, sometimes get teary for no apparent reason; and I saw Clarice Lispector, Kundera, and Saramago; and all the pages of the journals that have been written inspired by them; and I saw my first kiss, in the park, and how I hated it; and I saw all the others that came after that, and crazy as it might sound, I even saw how they tasted: apple, beer, cigarettes, grape, mint, wine, red bull, watermelon, coffee, chocolate…And I saw that orange-blue-purple sunrise at the beach — the one that I cherish and treasure — in the night we decide that we would catch the sunset and the sunrise together; it made me happy when I noticed that my memory had been able to keep intact each detail of it; and I saw my guitar, and all the songs that I’ve played; and the ones that I’ve attempted to; and I saw me and my best friend, jamming, drinking beer and eating chocolate; and I also saw you, and where you are going to be in three minutes, and in three days, and in three years; I saw the moments when you are hateful and despicable and also the ones when you magnificent; and I saw all the people in the world, yellow, brown, black, white, they all stared directly at me, and some accused me with their gaze, and although I am not sure of what, I know, by the certainty in their eyes, that they were right; and I saw all the kids that were being born, their brand-new souls still free from all the doubts, all the trouble; and also saw their moms, all utterly hopeful against all the odds. And it perplexed me that I could see the entire world but I was not able to decide if I should be happy or sad for them. Then, I saw myself: no adorn, no pretension, no secrets, I truly SAW MYSELF; and that was the most astonishing of it all.
Now, you might want to know how you can do it too, see it all. I can tell you, but I have to warn you first: life is not the same after it, after you’ve seen everything that there will ever be to be seen. Think: there might be a good reason why for most people it just happens, if it happens, in the last instant, right before their death.

A Different Inauguration Story

Yes, I was there for the inauguration. I don't have anything super new to say about the ceremony itself though: it was crowded, it was cold, people were happy, ... I'm sure you have heard all that a thousand times by now.
The only way I can think to come up with something fresh is by telling my personal experience as Obama's "hopeful" campaign was sweeping the country. I'm afraid It starts way before the inauguration.

I believe It starts here:

I was the most skeptical person about Obama's candidature. Of course I knew he was way better than Mccain, but I stubbornly refused to go any further than that. I went to extremes of driving my friends insane right after the election by saying: "he's just another politician. He will steal you a little less than the others, that's all." Yes, I was annoying like that.
You are probably wondering by now what I was doing at the inauguration, why I went there.
Well, let's say I educated myself a lot.
First though, I want to tell a little fact about Brazil's recent history that might serve as an explanation to my stoical skepticism during Obama's campaign.
From the beginning of the 60's until 1985 Brazil suffered under a military dictatorship, marked by violent censorship of any kind of self-expression. It fell in 1985, but it was only in 1989 that that entire generation had the chance to vote and choose their president for the first time. They (the Brazilians who unlike me were not 6 years old) elected Fernando Collor. A young politician, great speaker, without much experience but considered to be a breath of fresh air in a country tired of old governors and their ideas. The country was swept by a wave of hope in the future.
Sadly, the outcome was disastrous. In 1991, in a supposed attempt to reduce the ever growing inflation that was killing the country's economy, Collor confiscated the funds from all the savings accounts. People went to bed with money in their accounts to buy houses, cars, etc etc, and woke up broke, with nothing more than the change they had in their wallets. Ahh, one important detail: not all the people. There was a certain more well-informed circle who managed to transfer all their wealth out of the country right before it happened. Their excuse to such good timing? Luck. And God, of course.
That, added to denounces of corruption and traffic on influence in the government affected his image and soon his popularity hit ground. The streets were filled by raging protesters. The same young people who elected him, now painted their faces with the green and yellow colors of our flag and hit the streets. Shortly after, when Collor's participation in influence peddling was proved by the senate, an impeachment process was opened. He resigned in 1991, right before the impeachment process was finalized by the senate.
This two short years marked Brazilian history profoundly, and I dare-say that after Collor our capacity to believe in politics, and in politicians, was irreparably hurt.

Now, does the Fernando Collor candidate's description ring familiar to you at all? It did to me for a long time.
However, I have no intention whatsoever of comparing Obama and Collor. This entire story is more a justification to why I was reluctant to board the Obamamania than an attempt to draw parallels between both presidents. It didn't take me more than a half-serious on-line research on Obama's background to realize that my concerns were absolutely unfounded. Obama's political views, and his accomplishments in Illinois show that he's not a marketing product, that he has the principles and the courage to lead the US out of the shameful situation it has been in for the last 8 years.
It was with this belief that I headed to DC for the inauguration. I joined the over 2 million people in their hope that Jan. 20th was the first day of a better world. However, even if I wanted to, I can't run from my past. It's reflecting my Brazilian and American experiences that my position about this new times is: let's hope, let's support, and let's watch. Carefully.