JALALUDDIN RUMI SAID:

"Travel brings power and love back into your life ."

Riding the dunes at 9 mile hill.

Riding the dunes at 9 mile hill.

It is December 1991

After the Winter Solstice 

The days will now get longer 

Longer with each passing night 

Clouds are beautiful 

Clinging to the mountain tops

Clinging to the sides

Of  Sandia Mountain Range 

Drifting through the clefts 

Mountain upon mountain 

Drifting along the peak tops 

Floating along the slopes

Through the rugged canyons

Emerging, passing, creeping 

About Sandia Crest

About Tijeras Canyon 

The clouds and mountains 

Together are beautiful 

The abyss and the above

Both are keeping still 

Water above Earth 

Water on Mountain 

Some obstruction here 

Let the cold pass 

So that warmth may come 

Cloud bank obstructs 

In all its beauty 

Around about the mountains 

To overcome difficulties 

Dealing with the cold 

Seek the middle 

Yield to it with preparation 

Not trying to counteract 

Not trying to hide from it

But by proper preparation 

Stock up on the wood

Gather together all the wool 

Friends, warm clothes, work,

Hot apple cider, and stews.

These are your best tools

To ride the middle road 

Through the cold 

Until

The coming of the warmth 

After the Winter Solstice 

Days growing longer 

Nights growing shorter 

Sun rises higher 

Higher into the sky 

Mankind is not free

Mankind is dependent 

On the ways of nature 

Mankind will turn inward 

When we must 

Can introspect 

To fully prepare 

Gather all we need 

To persevere 

Until the coming of the warmth. 

Hot air balloons can be seen in Albuquerque skies throughout the year.

Hot air balloons can be seen in Albuquerque skies throughout the year.

Looking up Canyon Road in Santa Fe NM.

Looking up Canyon Road in Santa Fe NM.

People so often do not see

What they see

People so often do not see

A man throws a piece of paper 

Out of the window of his car

The paper rolls into the weeds

It stays there for weeks 

The man passing by each day 

His eyes glance by it every time

And what does he see?

Anything except for 

That piece of paper. 

NO WRITING  TODAY 

NO INSPIRATION FOR ME 

MAYBE TOMORROW...

Sonora trip verse #1:

Sitting in my

1979 Dodge van 

Sweating profusely

Even after 2100

In the small village

Called Cocorit

Near the large

City Obregón

In the southern part of

Sonora Mexico.

Spent one thousand pesos

For a Toranja Mineral Water

Again spent un mil pesos 

Por un más Toranja 

Sweating profusely

Hoping van will start

Note that needle

Not showing a charge

Possibly van too hot 

I know I am...

Entrance to Trombinos'

Entrance to Trombinos'

Sonora Road Trip verse #2:

I take a book to read into a café 

The book called The Beat Vision 

The café called Café Lupita 

Five Hundred pesos

For plain mineral water

One thousand five hundred 

For jugo de naranja 

Which is fifty percent water

SONORA ROAD TRIP VERSE #3: The scraggly dressed children... Who hit me up for change... Less than a minute after I arrived... And parked my van... Are the same children... that hit me up for change...In the exact same place... With, it seems, them in the exact same clothes...As yesterday...

SONORA ROAD TRIP VERSE #3: The scraggly dressed children... Who hit me up for change... Less than a minute after I arrived... And parked my van... Are the same children... that hit me up for change...In the exact same place... With, it seems, them in the exact same clothes...As yesterday...

Blood Flower Super Moon before a lunar eclipse.

Blood Flower Super Moon before a lunar eclipse.

Sonora Road Trip verse

#4

Back in the van

Writing these verses by candlelight

Because the refraccionoria

I am parked next to

Now has its lights turned off

Closing at 2130

Myself sweating profusely

Sweat falling from my forehead

Although the doors and windows

Are wide open

Just hoping the van starts tomorrow

In Sha Allah...

The start of a lunar eclipse and a poem:

The start of a lunar eclipse and a poem:

Sonora Road Trip verse #5

He had to get the door open himself.

He walks with a crutch.

The crutch is all taped up.

The tape is colored blue.

They needed a hammer to open the window.

Their pans for cooking

Their cups for drinking

Are kept up on the roof.

Roof made of cardboard

placed on tin sheets and wood planks.

No furniture at all

Only buckets that hold

Their food and such...

En Unidad Hay Poder

En Unidad Hay Poder

Sonora Road Trip verse #6

Driving between Huatabampo and Las Bocas not much of anything, a few ranches, a few pueblos, two or three, including Las bocas itself, approximatly one hour to drive, on dirt road although at times a water puddle or a very sandy spot, it was a very sandy spot that first gave us the trouble after driving through a very deep puddle of water the right side steering linkage pin got disconnected so had no steering ability in the middle of the sandy spot the right side wheel was turned further to the left than was the left wheel which still could be steered after thinking about the problem removing what sand i could from around the foul wheel, being alone out in the middle of much vacant land and sand i decided that the problem had to be fixed finally i decided that a cloths hanger could be used to reconnect the right side steering linkage mechanism to the axel and this did get us to Las Bocas although it did take a lot more than one hour because the cloths hanger had to be retightened every few miles...

Sonora Road Trip verse #7

They tell each other dirty jokes        And cut each other down          

They cook their food                           on a fire pit                                 Between the hut and the ocean       They are fishermen.

 

 

 

 

Lunar eclipse in progress and poem:

Lunar eclipse in progress and poem:

Sonora Road Trip verse #8

Hut gets worse every year               Open for a few weeks                      When there is fishing to do               Now we are waiting                      Government is preventing               Any fishing at all                                They can come around                       In their boats.                                   With their guns.                                 Could not fish today anyway.            Wind is strong.                          Waves are large.                              An almost hurricane     Stirring up the ocean.                   Las Bocas.                                          Sonora                                        Most have gone home.                   To Huatabampo                            To La Unión.

Our vitamins for the week.

Our vitamins for the week.

Sonora Road Trip verse #9

"Somos muy frijoleros."                     Yes, the mexicans eat lots of beans. Lots of beans and tortillas.              Tortillas of corn or flour.                White, yellow, maize, harina.       They have very large trees in their patios                                         These are extensions of their humble homes.                               They provide spaces for relaxation and fun                                           For rest out from the sun.             Trees often hold things like bird cages, utensils, reptiles.  Or macas for relaxation in the shade out from the sun.

Our vitamins for the week.

Our vitamins for the week.

Sonora Road Trip verse #10

She has to do her work                     by candlelight.                                  Although the lampara sheds some soft light. 🕯️                                     And so does the fire 🔥.                 The men sit in the dark.                    Talking about the ranch, work, friends.                                                If they have been drinking beer or tequila that may have diced apples in it.                                                     The ranch is beautiful and tranquil.                  Me lying on the maca looking up at the bright stars.                         Rode a horse today.                        It would gallop when I least expected it.                                 We two times,2, around the patio, to, too                                          And down to the well.              With a Pacifico in hand

Singing:                                         

"La Vida No Vale Nada."         

Sonora Road Trip verse #11

Interesting how they milk the cows    And fun to watch                                   The lovely cows                        Are in one corral.                                        The calves are in another.                        They let out one calf.        Which goes to its milky mother.        To feed on fresh milk.                    As it is feeding.           One seasoned vaquero.             Places a long rope.                                    Around the hind legs of the milky cow mother.                      Then the calf is led away.                With a different rope.              And a small bucket of milk can be gotten.           From the milky mother cow.                                   Which milk is placed into a larger bucket.                                Then the calf is allowed to go back to mother milky cow                       The Long rope is taken off of the cow.                                           A large bucket of milk can be easily got in this way.                                  With other cows and calves.       In no time at all...    

Sonora Road Trip verse #12

The wife heated up some of that

WONDERFUL

fresh milk

We had coco and coffee

To put in that

WONDERFUL

fresh milk

Milk cow Cow milk

Hot cow Cow hot milk

Milk hot cow Malted cow

Malted cow milk

Milk malted cow 

Malted hot cow milk 🥛

Mosaic from Albuquerque NM convention center wall.

Mosaic from Albuquerque NM convention center wall.

Sonora Road Trip verse #13

This living on the ranch

Beautiful

Fresh honey brought

Still in the honeycomb

Richest stuff

Ricissimo stuff

Comida dulce ricissimo

With the mother

Taking her daughter

Into the cooking area

Playing with her

By candlelight

Teaching her things

By song

Singing to her

Telling her things

By candlelight

Flickering lamplight

Light of lamp lamp for light

Starlight above

Bright..

Mosaic from Albuquerque NM Convention Center.

Mosaic from Albuquerque NM Convention Center.

Sonora Road Trip verse #14

Even with

The senile lady

Lola

Who sweeps out

the baño 

Where we are

to bathe 

With the bucket

Of water

Then she asks for

200 pesos 

For having done so

We want so much 

We want so much

To tell of the

Beauty

Of this living

So serene

So peaceful

Mosaic art from the Albuquerque Convention Center.

Mosaic art from the Albuquerque Convention Center.

Sonora Road Trip verse #15

Back in La Unión at the house where lives Marcos and his family the house of his father-in-law reading aloud An African Dream by Bob Kaufman sometimes reading it very loud then outside of the van reading out loud quite loud The Wild Spirit of Kicks by Ted Joans when arrives the father of Marcos Señor Palomares a noble Spanish gentleman very proud and quite grey but strong we give him a pinecone large, fallen from California pines, in return for his approach, salutation, and amicable character he likes the pinecone so much it is large and beautifully formed California pinecones can get extremely large a new adornment for the house "Adorno nuevo para la casa".

SONORA ROAD TRIP VERSE #16    🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗             There are three children here.                     One has a broom.          Which is a horse.        One other has a stick.          Fastened to a wheel at the end.        He pushes it ahead.       It is also a horse.      The sticks are rode as is a horse.         They circle me.      As the third looks on.       I hit the two horse riders.      On their heads.     As they circle me.        The three laugh profusely.       How these children.         Make fun and games.       With the simplest.        Objects.        At hand.        Is amazing.        Children are amazing.      Reading.

SONORA ROAD TRIP VERSE #16 🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗 There are three children here. One has a broom. Which is a horse. One other has a stick. Fastened to a wheel at the end. He pushes it ahead. It is also a horse. The sticks are rode as is a horse. They circle me. As the third looks on. I hit the two horse riders. On their heads. As they circle me. The three laugh profusely. How these children. Make fun and games. With the simplest. Objects. At hand. Is amazing. Children are amazing. Reading. "An African Dream". Aloud. As they laugh. Aloud.

Another wall mosaic  from the convention center in Albuquerque NM.

Another wall mosaic from the convention center in Albuquerque NM.

SONORA ROAD TRIP #17

The problem wa slowly

                        Was lowly

Developing.     

Ever since I bought the van

                      Thought

That it would last

           But not

Took three days to fix

eeeee

Primero

To take off the starter

               Not      art

                Non    ars

The mechanic was drunk

Was sleeping under the van

         Sleep

Was   leaping

Wa     sleeping

Secundo

This day to replace the part

         Other                      art

           Place      The     Art

A nod to the art

And 

Tercero

Day to re put the starter

            Re              start

             Re.                Art

 

 

Another mural from the Albuquerque convention center.

Another mural from the Albuquerque convention center.

SONORA ROAD TRIP verse #18

By the time we get to Navajoa

I will be wanting a new thing

Will be waiting for new sights

I am biding my time

Until we can be in new sites

Finally having arrived into

Navajoa

Though I have been here before

I begin to see new things

Not all of us to be sure

This is new only to myself

We arrive at the bus terminal

Which is regional

We, having arrived from

Huatabampo

All six of us then walked

To the interstate

Bus terminal

And we are immediatly

Able to jump onto the bus

That was soon heading to

Mexico D.F.

the heart of

Mejico

Thousands of pulsating hearts

Held up to the sky

We were going only as far as

Guadalajara...

Our vitamins for this week.

Our vitamins for this week.

SONORA ROAD TRIP #19

By the time we get to

Culiacan

I will be wanting a 

Seat

Bus is overloaded

I am standing

Or sitting on a square 

Bench

In the middle of the

Aisle

About thirty minutes

Before we arrive into

Culiacan

One fellow offers me his 

Seat

Where I am able to remain

Until arrival into

Culiacan

When we board the bus again

I take the square

Bench

At the front of the

Bus

So I will see more

Dark night has fallen

But it is possible

To see the road

And some ways to the

Sides

Thanks to good 

Headlights

Many hills around

Culiacan

And towards the

South

The country is now noticeably

Greener and quite hilly

This is my situation

Until our laborous arrival into

Mazatlán...

Sonora Road Trip verse #20

By the time we get to Mazatlán

I am ready to eat and sleep

I do manage to grab a taco

I do manage to claim a seat

Still it is dark

can not see much

I begin to sleep on and off

In seat number 12

Sleep off and on until dawn

Which comes around

Ahuacatlán

Estado Nayarit

Population 14,000

Nahuatl:

Place where there are lots of avocados.

Then east to

Ixtlán del Rio

Which is so very beautiful

Estado Nayarit

Population 33,000

Mountains, little rivers, Toltec Templo de Quetzalcoatl

The Feathered Serpent

Huge mountain range

So very beautiful...

Sonora Road Trip verse #21

By the time we get to Tequila 

We will be ready to arrive in

Guadalajara.

First we have to pass 

All of these 

Maguey plants

Maguey plants in all parts 

Around Tequila

Great crops of Maguey

Sometimes Maguey plants

Surround a crop of Corn

Crop of Corn

Sometimes Maguey plants

Are interspersed with the 

Corn plants

One row of each alternating

Or two rows of Maguey

Running through the middle of a

Whole crop of Corn

Varieties of Corn and Maguey

Maguey and corn

Interspersed

Is most interesting

The Maguey Plant

Looks like it tastes

Grayish, Spiney, Fleshy

Hard to take.

Il

SONORA ROAD TRIP VERSE #22

It is a long path among several

     other long paths

Watermelon, chilies, garlic,

     squash, corn, peanuts

Beehives, black-eyed peas,

     and other beans

Grown on separate plots of

     beautiful land

Some plots on this large ranch

     lying fallow

Maybe we will have 

     a small house built

And cultivate plots that

     surround the house

We would cultivate corn and

     wa ter me lon

Tomatoes and garlic

     at Pierdras Blancas Alamos

          Sonora Mexico...

A mural in Albuquerque near Central Street and Morningside Street.

A mural in Albuquerque near Central Street and Morningside Street.

Sonora Road Trip verse #23

Someone killed a

S N A K E

last night

I am happy

I had to see it only

After it was

Skinned, cut, cleaned

Someone killed this

RATTLESNAKE

So I will soon have

My first taste of

S N A K E...

SONORA ROAD TRIP verse 24

Cows and Calves

Some of the cows and calves

      are quite cooperative

Others will fight you

Even when they are being helped

Some of the calves will fight

Even when being freed

Some of the cows will fight

Even when being liberated

From the bonds of the lasso

But others will come 

     right up to you

They will wait to be freed

They wait to be liberated

They were roped for branding

Or they were roped for

     medical treatment.

Sonora Road Trip verse #25

The coyote was ugly

Poor thing

Caught in the trap

Taunted

It will have to die there

I did not want to see it

The poor rascal

Has to die here

While we went on 

Collecting stray black eyed peas...