Hailus on a Life Altering Trip in M�xico
Dedicated to KD

KD inspired me to write a hailu* for each day of my trip. As you can see, there were days when I wrote two or more.

(*Hailu: not a typo, it's simply a haiku written for or by me.)

Day 1, August 9 // Mazatl�n, Sinaloa
Costa de Oro
Makes a lil' mistake
And I get a suite

Day 2, August 10
Fish, fruit, souvenirs
El mercado has it all
Except a cool breeze

Day 3, August 11
Boat, rope, parachute
Help me fly over the coast
It's just like heaven

Day 4, August 12
Por el malec�n
Miro varios amantes
Y te extra�o m�s

Along the boardwalk
I see a dozen lovers
And I miss you more

Day 5, August 13 // Salamanca, Guanajuato
Adi�s, Mazatl�n
No more tanning on the beach
But I'll find myself

I forgot my rule
I do like the Mexicans
They're hard to resist

Day 6, August 14
At T�a Tomasa's house
I find beautiful woodwork,
A half dozen aunts

Day 7, August 15 // Guanajuato, Guanajuato
Colonial city
Full of ghosts in its alleys
Awakens, says hello

I knew the lyrics*
But never their full meaning
That is now changing

(*To "Camino de Guanajuato" by composer Jos� Alfredo Jim�nez)

Day 8, August 16 // Rancho La Compa��a, Guanajuato
Llegu� al rancho
Encontr� nueve* t�os
Y hartos primos

(*Three were missing)

They wear John Deere Hats
But it's not about a trend
They own five tractors

Day 9, August 17
Heated swimming pools
Delicious enchiladas
Sleep in the hammock

Day 10, August 18
Up in the cerros
I can see all the ranchos
And it's lovely

Day 11, August 19 // Guanajuato, Guanajuato
Mexican mummies
Lie shriveled in glass cases
I can't help but look

Day 12, August 20 // Salamanca, Guanajuato
Nameless dance partner
Tempts me with sweet words, nice eyes
Will power saves me

Day 13, August 21
At T�a Tomi's
I chat with t�os, primos
I love the chisme

Day 14, August 22 // San Miguel de Allende y Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato
Rain in San Miguel
Car trouble in Dolores
Made a good day trip

The rain falls lightly
Pau, Kat, I enjoy ice cream
Just like little kids

Day 15, August 23 // Salamanca, Guanajuato
Cultural center
Of an industrial town
Bathes in the sunlight

Day 16, August 24 // Morelia, Michoac�n
Morelia meant tears
And knowing the meaning of
Life altering trip

Day 17, August 25 // Salamanca, Guanajuato
T�as abuelas
Dan consejos, abrazos
Y los valoro

Day 18, August 26 // Ciudad de M�xico, DF
Nearly empty bus
Takes me from extended fam
To crowded city

Day 19, August 27
Baroque cathedral
Stands tall over the ruins
Of the Mexicas

Christ, saints in gold leaf
Aztec temple in ruins
The conquest is clear

Day 20, August 28
At Chapultepec
I see fabulous murals,
Retrace history

Roots in mining states
Silver runs deep in my veins
There is no gold here

Day 21, August 29 // Teotihuac�n, M�xico
Teotihuac�n
On a Sunday afternoon
Indescribable

Bright, white puffy clouds
Azure skies, fat hill sit by
Meztli's pyramid

Finally atop
The Pyramid of the Sun
I can see the world

My ancestors built
A city in line with the
Mysterious heavens

Day 22, August 30
Mexican singer
Glances at me intently
And I wonder why

Labios de jaguar
Cantante de �pera
�Y t� ra�ces?

Day 23, August 31 // Hacienda Heights, California
Flight six four four leaves
Mexico City en route
To Los Angeles

Me siento: good
Escuchando: nada

M�s reciente:
Searches - 09.16.05
the big move - 07.29.05
mother and daughter: a comparative analysis - 07.28.05
jardineros y dom�sticas - 07.27.05
tough question - 07.25.05

antes // despu�s