Alphabet poem

As I prepare to go home,
bags packed with the
clothes I brought to wear, now
dirty with Mexican grime, I can hardly control my
excitement.
For three weeks I have been here in Cuernavaca
getting immersed in Spanish
having opportunities to learn and speak,
interacting with locals and
just getting by with my basic grasp of the language. It’s been a
kaleidoscope of experiences.
Lots of them very good, some of them pretty trying.
Many thoughts swirl in my head, yet
not one seems to be completely developed
or clear right now.
People have been very nice here. Most are
quite happy to talk with gringos like me, and
ready to offer a helpful word when I
stammer and then pause
trying to come
up with the
verb for “to look for”
when I’m trying to find an internet café or pharmacy.
Exactly what I’ve learned here, I’ll probably know
years from now, after videos and talks about
Zapata and Pancho Villa have become dim memories.

2/27/09