Yolombo, Colombia
Melissa Gail Klein Rendon
Part 1
Felipe’s father said Jorge would let us in
No Jorge, so we open the lock
Up the hill past the fervent hand painted no trespassing signs
Felipe in his rubber boots and woven palm sombrero
Me with my bathing suit, picnic basket, and bundle of flowers from the finca
For Mamae Oxum
‘Go on’ I say and I sit and wait
Halfway up the hill to the white and red hacienda farm house
Under a shady tree I sit pulling
Little round red mini cocos from my jean pocket
Cracking them open with sun warmed stones to get the meat
Que rico!
A little while later Felipe returns, running down the hill
Full of shaky knees from awkward glares and the silent treatment
They’ll let us in to see her, Esmeralda
The waterfall we came here for
But we’ll have to pay and sign our names
Because nobody told them we were coming
And Jorge went to town
Is that okay with me? He asks
We might as well…
Go up the hill together, where grinning 2 teenage girls
And firm grown ups answer, are at least a bit melted by my gringa attitude
After making us wait, we pay the 30 mil pesos and they point us toward the path
Over the sun baked fields, rolling green hills
Giant wasp nests
Cows and horses
To the mouth of the jungle
It’s about an hour’s walk
Of course this is double what Felipe’s dad has told us
Part 2
The canopy of trees
A welcome shady friend at last
We slip inside and are greeted
By birds with loudly whooshing yellow wings
We stop, get quiet
Titi monkeys are jumping
We see their tails
A river slides crystalline over gold speckled sand
Iridescent blue butterflies waft
We follow two lane highways
Of ants carrying leaves and seeds twice their size
Trying not to crush them
We start downhill, hearing water against rock beckoning
Sending out drops of water
To meet us midair as we get closer and then
River, more lively passing beneath feet
Removing shoes peering
Through canopy to glimpse her
Far above our heads
Moss covered trees with mushrooms
Hanging vines cooling the air and blocking light
Big cream clouds heavy shifting
Esperalda embraces us, roaring
Pounding down over an expanse of black boulders
An artfully designed fountain
With the unplanned imperfect hand
Nature’s signature style
Black rocks jutting out, catching water and sending it down
Into the pool below
I strip down and move slowly
Knee deep into the churned liquid
Losing my feet, my legs, my whole self
In her cool gel
Life
Felipe follows behind me
There’s no one here!
He climbs up and jumps
I perch and watch
Rainbows stretching out through the dancing drops
Eventually
Made our way to picnic in a patch of warming sunlight
Chicken, rice and salad Felipe’s dad has cooked for us
Freshly snapped sugar cane for dessert
Carnivorous bees
Abandon our toes for chicken bones
After a while, returning to the waterfall
To offer thanks and songs
Felipe climbs a tree
“Solo dejaremos flores, y cantos de esperanza”
Gifting our flowers to the water with a mighty toss and watching them float there
If we have a daughter, we’ll name her Esmeralda
Part 3
There’s a special peace
And a bliss that comes
From dipping whole heartedly
In a body of wild water
The water carries this intelligence
From all the land it travels
From all the time is has been moving
Moving and moving
Keeping itself fresh
Washing us as well
The water came from an asteroid belt they say
Frozen there for eons until it collided
Into the Earth and slept against molten lava
When those ancient Volcanoes exploded
Water was set free and the first rains
Flooded the earth
Primordial oceans
Birthed us
Water, our Extraterrestrial Mother
As we walked back, retracing
Trying not to step on the ants
They even used our bridges
Busy, like in the city
You can leave me here
Filled with the reality of bliss and beauty
Without a thought in my head
I touch the earth with my feet
And heaven with my heart
Wasp nests loom
Bigger than me
And the sun begins dripping her nostalgic light
Over the rolling green hills
With all cameras forgotten
I promised to inscribe
These memories in word
Where you can also touch them
I hope they find you
Moist with the same life
Forgetting your duties perhaps
Making your way out
To meet the glorious sky
Whatever season you might be in
May poetry surround you and bring you home