People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid

Freer than no one
on the edge
of this undulating sheet of soft cerulean glass
I let my bare feet wander at their will on the grey sand

Waves beat on the jetty with their whip
while the lone sun covers my back
Seagulls and sparrows fly at water level
tear it with their beaks
and snatch away from it
fresh fish thrashing about
in agony
Racket of parrots
a radiating uprising in the kingdoms of the sky
on this morning that shows its face
the bright disposition of a god
and on the clearness of its forehead
the blessing of the breeze
simultaneously ablaze
beneath my forehead
other mornings
mighty mornings of the earth
with their arboreal power
and their marine uproar

Freer than no one
on the morning of my thirtieth year
I dip the tip of my foot in the warm water
of the simmering marsh
in its froth
and the lobster offspring take off
slitting the water where my nomad feet
had splashed seconds ago
and the sand where
lie stranded
drooping jellyfish

shells of constellated tattoos
algae circling the ankle
sea snakes
snails
nautical cloisters
hermit crabs
urchins, the sentinels
of the marsh
and everything that the sea with its tide
obstinately pulls away from its vast domain

A fistful of winds punishes my back
in the same way that the gods
would goad
he whose luck it was to witness the miracle

My kingfisher eyes dive in the virgin water
Startled
soft-shell crabs
flee sideways on the ocean's green carpet
and translucent
octopuses
take shelter in sordid dens

The wind whistles through the coastal palm groves this morning
in which the sun
so as to wake itself
plunges into the water

All is open space
when dew climbs a ladder of ivy up to the sky
The light opens slits of gold
in the thick lemongrass bushes
and the river bank
canvas sails and feather rigging spread out as well

All the brilliance of the sky appears duplicated
in the water's olive mirror

On moss-covered logs
scab-skinned iguanas bask in the sun
while foxes scratch the brambly ground
and alongside the woods
one returns to the ocean
through a trodden path between the palm trees

On the beach
the royal egret tidies with its beak
the plumage that yet again
the wind
will ruffle

The starfish marooned in a puddle
and sand-frosted
shimmers in the sun
and so the tiny crabs shyly peek out
from the holes of their hideouts
and a new litter of turtles rushes forth in search of water

Heralds of the storm
northern birds
cross the sky
But life is a feast
this morning
in which the sun awakes
daydreaming

Twenty years ago I was a child
and I remember the sun
came out from sunrise to sunset
the sun came out every day
And everywhere
at the river's edge
in the shade of the guayo shrubs
under the thatches of houses
some complained about the sun

Ah the sun
the uttermost sun
is this sun
our daily sun
the dog days sun
the sun giving street dogs rabies
the sun that smudges the skin and braises the bones
the sun
that delivers free vitamin injections
the one rubbing the lamp of lust
the sun lying Maria and her boyfriend
on a mat at the foot of a sapodilla tree
and they
covered only by a soft poplin sheet
spend the whole afternoon completely entwined

Drop by drop sweat starts trickling down their legs
and a very penetrating scent beings to cloud them
and so he
who spies them hidden behind a star apple tree
stays there for a while
in ecsatcy and spastic
even if afterward
he'll go cool down
in front of the electric fan
or lying on his belly on the cool tiles
he is well aware that nothing can save him from contagion
day and night
he thinks of nothing but lying at Maria's side
so as to inhale her scent
between the blankets of her zeal

Ay the sun
the sun's sunniness
who could live without this sun? The sun
warming up the ponds of the frogs
and the coconut water
the sun drawing lizards from their caves
sun exploding
jugs of mead over our heads
and turning distance into its magnifying glass

Ay the sun
the sun's scorching heat
the uttermost sun
is this sun
our daily sun
that which we shuffle along with lottery cards
sun feeding its own hearth
with pages of the Mas antiguo Galvan calendar
and frosty beer labels
The sun crawling into bed
where very close together
and drowsy
me and my younger sister
toss in bed restlessly all night long
under the mosquito net

Ay the sun
that gets into bed
shrinks like a gnome
leaps
opens the window
and announces
another day of sun



Jose Luis Rivas - A Season in Paradise
- translated by Monica de la Torre

Rare
Green
Beauty
Unadorned
by nights charade -
the daily porn of masquerade
Tips
Reflection
Pungent rotting
Rich cadavar
Fingers finding
Holes
In others
Fragile bindings
All towards the break
Filters
Layers
Veins

Bull Riding is the most recognized and popular of all the rodeo events. It is also the most dangerous.
As with bareback riding, and saddle bronc, bull riders ride with one hand, and cannot touch themselves or their bull with the free hand. Doing so results in a no score.
Scoring is the same as in the other roughstock events. Two judges give 1-25 points for the cowboys performance and 1-25 points for the animals performance. 100 points being the maximum, and is considered a perfect ride.
To ride, bull riders use a bullrope and rosin.
The bullrope is a thickly braided rope with a cowbell attached. The cowbell acts as a weight, allowing the rope to safely fall off the bull when the ride is over. The rosin is a sticky substance that increases grip on the ropes. Bull riders wrap their bullrope around the bull and use the remainder to wrap around their hand tightly, trying to secure themselves to the bull.
Unlike the horse events, there is no mark out in bull riding. Cowboys can spur for extra points, but just staying on the bull for 8 seconds is the main priority. After the ride, bull riders are aided by bullfighters or rodeo clowns and barrelmen who distract the bull, allowing the cowboys to escape safely. A good score in the bull riding is in the 90's. There has been one perfect score of 100 in the PRCA.

....for when you take a moment off from conducting your horse-opera in the back lot of some Arizona dime-store... was this the one?

Whilst serendipity was busy furnishing next doors upstairs bedrooms
She stood here in this room of whirling dervishes
Finding solace in fruit

J Michael Sullivan - Joshua Tree (no, not Arizona)

Lisa Eisner - Miss Rodeo Idaho (no, not Arizona either)

Please take the time to read the attached PDF, it lists many of the key policy decisions with regards to reproductive health enacted under the Bush administration.
These policies directly, or indirectly, affect the status of women globally.
This is an extremely important time for the rights of women, left undefended, the consequences will be profound and real for generations to come.
To lobby the new Conservative Prime Minister now in office within Canada, and ensure the rights of women within these borders please send your e-mails to :

Prime Minister’s office -
e-mail to pm@pm.qc.ca
or:
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa
K1A 0A2

..or if you're fond of deaf ears - president@whitehouse.gov


Key Points...
International –

Global Gag Rule –
In late August 2003, President Bush expanded his notorious policy on International family-planning programs, known as the global gag rule. This policy forces overseas health clinics to agree not to use their own, non-US funds to provide or counsel patients about abortion, or to take a public pro-choice position. Previously, the gag rule applied only to groups that receive grants from the US Agency for International Development’s family-planning program. Under the new expansion, the policy is imposed on the entire State Department budget – over $8 billion.
The gag rule has cut off shipments of USAID-donated supplies to 16 developing countries, because the only recipients in those countries were members of the International Planned Parenthood Federation which lost over $20 million in USAID funds because it refused to comply with the policy. Condoms procured with HIV/AIDS funds are not subject to the rule, but critics of the rule say that, in practice, organizations that refused to sign the rule have not been able to get funds earmarked for HIV/AIDS prevention. Hillary Fyfe, chair of the Family Life Movement of Zambia, asserts, "I think they are killing these women, just as if they are pointing a gun and shooting. There is no difference."

Blocked funds to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) –
The White House announced it plans to withhold $50 million appropriated by Congress for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). UNFPA provides reproductive-health care, including family-planning services, to the world’s poorest women, and specializes in caring for refugees and addressing other crises. Conservative extremists claim that UNFPA supports China’s coercive abortion and sterilization programs, although a State Department investigative panel convened by Bush last year reported that there was no evidence to support this. UNFPA estimates the lost funds will translate to 2 million unintended pregnancies, 800,000 abortions, 4,700 maternal deaths, 66,000 cases of serious maternal illness, and 77,000 deaths of children under five.

US -
Impending Supreme Court Battle Over Roe v. Wade

http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/assets/files/Bush-Congress-Actions.pdf

"An awareness of the past contributes to an imagining of the future." - Saskia Bos

Stills from the Video piece The Rape of the Sabine Women by Eve Sussman

South Coast Australia...

I love your rufescent quixotic soul
My darling in lederhosen
Sitting chewing oatgrass
Festive teacups in your eyes
Your mind ruminating in a gravy circumnavigation
Jacaranda mushrooms smiling from your platter
And a Kenyan licking dewdrops from your ears
Spotted ducks around lay sleeping
A thousand feathers on winds are swirling
Old static on a gramophone is growing
Buds of new ripe soul-stealing numbers
One ruby lip of moist words from me
Hides from this moment ephemeral
Stealing itself away
To hide amongst the oranges
Scattered in a hedonistic disarray
A smell of bluegrass
Lifts the yoke of love
And leads me dancing in a fashion meant for light

Arms open wide to receive
A blessing from the stars
The air pauses
Twisted fingers
Reach
And miss
Fall
Switched off
Switched on
Switched off