Running With Echoes of Desire
by
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City of Port Vila, Vanuatu, It is Hard to Imagine
Ten nights ago I was a complete stranger In this exquisite island of Vanuatu Where at times the sky throws a veil of mist Then the ocean radiates like a sheet of mother of pearl
Voted as the "Happiest Island" Eighty two relatively small islands At the meeting point of continental tectonic plates Mountainous with volcanic origin Rocky with fringing reefs
Whipped by the wind Metallic pigeons and rainbow lorikeets fluttered around Chased each other in a playful way Their wings in capricious curves Making sounds of music
Guided by a Travel book And James Michener's “Tales of the South Pacific” I ventured to this place Not knowing a single soul
The heat was oppressive My hotel was across the market along the seafront Facing the sunrise My window had a peek of the waters Comprised of every shade of blue and bluish green
I felt safe walking around There were no beggars on the streets Policemen did not carry guns or batons
Statistics show there is one boat for every fifteen inhabitants Natives are self sufficient Freshly caught fish, vegetables and fruits abound
I tried to walk in the constant shade Under groves of bread trees Fruits were beginning to ripen From their height, these trees must be of immense age With broad glossy leaves and smooth bark It looked majestic
Houses were thatched with green Or yellow leaves of the palmetto Surrounded by fences of bamboo Here and there were lime and mandarin orange trees Where the warm air filtered freely
I set off to the market Women (fair Indians) with pale golden skin Smelled of scented coconut oil They wore colored prints of pareu and mission dresses Affectionate mothers held their babies Fanned and swatted the flies
Their soft brown curly hair decorated With pink or yellow hibiscus They stayed in the market from Monday to Saturday Eating and sleeping on the spot On large rolled out mats woven out of palm leaves Every day The men brought in fresh supplies to replenish the stalls
Tables were covered with plantain leaves For sale were live coconut crabs with its pincers tied (Its strong pincers can crack coconuts) Fresh water shrimps and ground pigeons
Kava (a sedating and alcoholic drink) Laplap (mashed bananas with coconut baked in an earthen oven) Small mangoes and, pawpaws (sweet sop) Giant green bananas as big as my arm, made me hungry
A woman with missing teeth and a shy smile Left handedly chopped a fresh coconut with a bush knife To cool myself, I drank the refreshing juice
The natives talked in Bislama "Yumi” (you and me) "Tumas” (thank you too much) Blong (belong)
Longing for some company and reverie Exerting a slight braveness I asked where Filipinos go to church I was directed to the Paray Catholic church
In the pink sunset light I was the lone passenger in the public bus
Like a galloping horse Troy, the driver speeded His rickety van ran through bumps and potholes Up the narrowed streets
His left hand on the steering wheel His right hand holding his son who kept bouncing I held my breath Tightened my frayed seat belt
White frangipani flowers, Wax like in texture with yellow centers "Kalachuchis”, Night blooming jasmine Kaffir lilies Filled the air with sweet fragrance Their petals gently rocked To and fro with the waves
I felt sheltered from the outside world
I arrived too early for the services I roamed around the gardens Filled with sugary smelling grass Read the bulletin board
The church was almost empty I prayed my rosary
After a while Men and women started to come in They took off their shoes or sandals Bowed their heads And walked barefoot inside the church
A Filipina looking lady distributed the missalettes Her name was Marylin I introduced myself as a tourist
"Would you like to do the First Reading?” Marilyn quipped
A bolt from the blue I was surprised and elated!
"Did she read my mind?” Yesterday was my birthday How can she possibly know? What could be more appropriate?
How fortunate I was to be asked Indeed a blessing! I walked up the altar, to the podium and read: "Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, Living among a people of unclean lips;” Scriptures that strengthen our faith Beautiful passages calming the mind Inspiring thoughts about God's creation of mankind A perfect chance to be contrite and examine our soul
After reading, I genuflected in veneration And thanked God devoutly Asked for a continued safe trip
The ni-Vanuatus, the Melanesians The Filipinos, a few French We all sung hymns in reverence
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About the Book
Lourdes Odette Aquitania Ricasa is an artist and a world traveler. She loves to paint and took painting lessons at the Mission Renaissance Art School in Pasadena, California, in Biarritz, France, Alicante, Spain and Bishkek Kyrgyzstan. She has on display more than one hundred works of art. Wandering from one moment to the next from Vanuatu to Tasmania and then perhaps she will be back to Vanuatu, sometimes with a sudden crisis of the heart, in which she does not act or react. Some unconscious choices how a particular individual behaves, leading to a drama of psychological inclination. Running with Echoes of Desire is a clear exercise of her talents, a special type of poetry for readers. For without love, without poetry, we become squeezed in social conventions. Destined to satisfy our literary cravings, a fleeting movement, a magnetic power has exerted a distinct influence in the art of her writing. The book jump starts our imagination. It tells us about life. Words that shine to new truths. It contains more than two hundred fifty poems and newsletters and her Art sketches. Exciting…she prefers to stay at the Paradores of Spain, chains of Palaces in Santiago de Compostela, Leon, Ducal Palace of Lerma, Trujillo and the Posada Dos Loios de Evora in Portugal. These places immortalizes yesterday, where the past emerges when Kings and royalty stayed here. There were times, she stayed in dorm beds in Iceland and Lake Baikal, Siberia. She quips “It was so much fun. I made a lot of friends.” Having traveled to two hundred eleven countries, her book is a premiere show case, the world on pages begins in her journeys. At times telling us what we do not already know or somehow we never framed the way she expresses it.
About the Author
Lourdes Odette Aquitania Ricasa's poetry enthralls us with seemingly endless adventures. She was born and raised in Manila, Philippines. She is deeply involved in the world of art, playing the piano, writing and painting. Her father, Sixto was a piano manufacturer and merchant. They had a warehouse full of imported piano parts from Germany. Factory workers assembled the parts into completed pianos. In front of the warehouse was a piano store and art gallery. Odette's passion for the arts was influenced by these. We ask you to drink deeply with her engagement of words and places that leave us dependent on our imagination. In Running with Echoes of Desire, the basic realities and lyrical description of villages, huts and cave dwellings give us courage to see the nested truth. Reading and learning about the world. Mysteriously, remarkably for the places described, it offers a degree of nourishment and satisfaction.