12 - the next night

The next night they put another woman in our cell,
Crying hysterically,

How could she forgive him?
They were coming,
The man, the spies
I couldn’t protect her!

Incoherent anguish

As there were no more mattresses, my cellmate invited the newcomer to share hers,
Which was scarcely wide enough for one person
I assumed the crying woman had been in a traumatic traffic accident, like me, In the morning of offered her my bread and water
(the jail doesn’t provide food. If you have no one to bring you food, I guess you starve)

La próxima noche metieron otra mujer, llorando histéricamente, hablando de que no podía perdonarlo, porque, porque, angustia incoherente. Como no había otro colchon, mi compañera la invitó a compartir el suyo, ya casi demasiado pequeña para una persona. Asumí que a ella le habia pasado un accidente de tránsito traumatico igual que yo. Por la mañana le ofrecí de mi pan y agua.


(image by CHUCK)

Days later I read in the newspaper that this inconsolable woman was in jail because she had
Thrown her baby in the latrine
It drowned
She was psychotic, post-partum I thought.
How could she ever get over this?
An innocent death

How can any of us be certain we will never be struck by
a craziness,
A loss of sensibility,
A few seconds out of our control?


Días despues leí en el periódico que ella estuvo preso por botar a su bebe en la letrina, que le había pegado una locura post parto.
Como asimilar algo así? La mujer inconsolable, un muerto inocente.
Como puede estar seguro uno que una locura, una perdida de sentido, algunos segundos fuera de control nunca te van a golpear?

11 goodness

Chica, debes subir aquí conmigo y mirar afuera, y platicamos.
Ella estaba sentada en la cama arriba, desde donde una podria mirar afuera, por la ventana estrecha.
Siente el viento,
el sol,
mira a los arboles,
a la gente.
Todavia estamos vivos,
Todavía somos mujeres!

My dear girl, climb up here with me and look outside, and let´s talk.
She was sitting on one of the top bunks, from which one could look outside, through the narrow window with a broken screen.
Feel the wind,
the sun,
look at the trees,
at the people.
We are still alive.
We are still women!



Mi compañera nunca me preguntó porque estaba allí, ni le pregunté a ella. Estuvimos dos mujeres atrapadas en situaciones traumaticas, y esto fue suficiente.

Incluso ella era diabética y no la habían dado su tratamiento por 4 días. Cuando al fin grité que por emergencia esa mujer necesitaba a un médico
se desmayó y tuvieron que llevarla chineada.

Y no obstante ella tenia la fuerza para estar generosa de espíritu conmigo.

My cellmate never asked me why I was there, and I didn’t ask her. We were two women trapped in traumatic situations, and that was enough.

She was diabetic and they hadn´t given her treatment in the four days she had been locked up. I could tell she was not well, and I started calling out to the guards. I finally screamed
Emergency! This woman needs a doctor! Hello??
When the guard came she fainted and he had to carry her like a baby. And she was not a small woman.

Despite all this she had the strength and the will to be generous of spirit, to share herself with me.

Como puedo comprender todo eso, que por medio de los momentos más oscuros hay puntos de luz, de gente que no tienen nada salen regalos. Que hay buena gente en todos rincones.

Astounding, really, to experience.
It really is true that in the midst of the darkest moments there are points of light,

That from people who have nothing come gifts.

That there are good people in all corners.

(photo by Carl Hamilton)