Ballad of the sad hometown

I was born and have lived in Rio since the time when you could tell the difference between seasons. As a kid, I used to play in front of my building, no paranoia, no fear. I couldn't feel people were afraid of others, maybe because I was just a child, but I think we can just feel some things better when we are youngsters… 

As I grew older, I noticed how people got more indifferent and their hearts became harder. Nowadays there are no springs, falls, or winters. We have an insisting summer, so constant it annoys. It got really common to see individuals sleeping on the streets, everywhere. Their bodies lie there like sand bags, in the dirt like they were part of it. It’s the most disturbing scene one could see, but somehow we just got used to it – as if it was possible. 

I was coming from the movies today when I saw this protuberance on some corner of the street, it wasn’t moving or anything. I was just there: silent, therefore insignificant to others. As I squinted and took a better look at it, I realized it wasn’t a lump. It was a man. I had confused a man with garbage. Sad thing is I know it’s this ordinary thing for us to move on and never think about others to the point of not seeing them anymore.

Maybe we should think things over and consider we, who ignore, are the garbage.

Old age

I guess that's what people mean when they refer to old age: if I'm not complaining, I don't have much to say.

Or do I?