I love how you start with eating papaya and how it connects you to your home. It's always the senses, isn't it? especially the sense of smell and taste that take us 'back home' and connect us to our earliest memories...
I love the way you put us right there with you in Panama. Many similarities with my native Brazil, including the texture, smell, and taste of papaya, one of my favorite fruits in the world. I love your passages, the rhythm of memories coming to you. The images we carry with us all over, wherever we go, are part of what binds us to home. This text makes me think a lot about my own journey in the USA.
It was wonderful to be one of the four to meet with you for lunch Marlene, it is always with schoolmates that time never moves on, we can always meet as if we had seen each other yesterday and we are still playing el lobo no está… only that now the lobo represents any harm that may come our way, let us enjoy life at its fullest in the meantime. You have a lovely and entertaining and deep way of saying so much in a few lines, please keep it up! And do come back soon for more family and friends and papaya.
Such a lovely evocative piece. I can taste that papaya along with you. As for my homeland? It is the Bronx of long ago where I grew up and the Bronx of today where I taught for many years. The food- glorious pizza- and the warm and caring people stay with me always.
Pata, que lindo tu comentario. Cuando vengo a Panamá me sale el liricismo un poco mas fuerte. Yo creo que es la musica de la mescolanza de espańol con ingles.
Marlena como siempre, te expresas tan bien que uno vive lo que cuentas
I love how you start with eating papaya and how it connects you to your home. It's always the senses, isn't it? especially the sense of smell and taste that take us 'back home' and connect us to our earliest memories...
I love the way you put us right there with you in Panama. Many similarities with my native Brazil, including the texture, smell, and taste of papaya, one of my favorite fruits in the world. I love your passages, the rhythm of memories coming to you. The images we carry with us all over, wherever we go, are part of what binds us to home. This text makes me think a lot about my own journey in the USA.
Thank you!
Ines Rodrigues
"The papaya is soft spoken, modest, forbearing, allied to long-ago memories that have lost their prick of want or distress."
This is beautiful writing and makes me taste the mangos and wonder about the memories
It was wonderful to be one of the four to meet with you for lunch Marlene, it is always with schoolmates that time never moves on, we can always meet as if we had seen each other yesterday and we are still playing el lobo no está… only that now the lobo represents any harm that may come our way, let us enjoy life at its fullest in the meantime. You have a lovely and entertaining and deep way of saying so much in a few lines, please keep it up! And do come back soon for more family and friends and papaya.
Gracias mi querida Zaidee🥰
This is gorgeous. I agree with 8 and 9 years old being the best age. My little girl is 8 and I just look at her pure joy and hope I could freeze it!
Such a lovely evocative piece. I can taste that papaya along with you. As for my homeland? It is the Bronx of long ago where I grew up and the Bronx of today where I taught for many years. The food- glorious pizza- and the warm and caring people stay with me always.
I love the "thick bag of life experiences" -
for me the convent I grew up next door to is my main sense of home- although it closed years ago-
That makes me smile. Here the nuns were so beloved, were thought of, cared for by the grown up classmates. They were mostly Spanish nuns.
Beautiful topic, beautifully expressed. Thanks Marlena!
Exactly so, Tanya! The senses. And you know, sound, too. The music, the rhythms.
Pata, que lindo tu comentario. Cuando vengo a Panamá me sale el liricismo un poco mas fuerte. Yo creo que es la musica de la mescolanza de espańol con ingles.
Did I send you the memoir piece about my father??
No you didnt MC. Pls do to my e-mail address
Very powerful, Marlena
Thank you, MC. It means so much coming from you.
:)
Did I send you my short story Summers With Dad?
I think I’ve read things about your dad, but not sure a short story. Send it to me at my personal e-mail