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FROM THE WILD SAVANNA OF BRAZIL’S SOUTHLAND |
EDITOR'S NOTE: Paul Hertelendy recently trekked
into the wilderness of Brazil's Mato Grosso de Sul.
His new poems, sent to us from the road
document his travels. This is his final contribution
from this trip.
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By Paul Hertelendy
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Dangling, swinging on an endless cord, Beyond the reach of walls both sculptured-rocky and grotesque, A darkened vacuum yawns below Where any fall would be an instant death of mercy. Slide, slide downward Where the sun and warmth and green and laughs recede, Toward the unseen bottom fraught with mystery, Into this mammoth cavern Quiet as the night, Where only bats now dwell. Rappelling ever downward you the human pendulum approach Not shore but chilly dimlit lake That waits to swallow you without a trace. With chills redoubled, you uneasy draw near to The emerald waters drowning Monumental limestone cones Like monster canine teeth within the deep And search for signs of bones. You find a resting place that’s merely moist and land.  Then once again an upward climb on trembling cord precarious With alpine clamps and stirrups, Venturing the half-hour challenge of exhaustion To escape this air-conditioned mausoleum built by nature, Emerging all renewed, Resuming sun-blessed life on earth That down below seemed nevermore to be. ---Abismo Anhumas cavern, Bonito, Brazil |
©2005 by Paul Hertelendy. The illustrations are from the actual Abismo Anhumas cavern. This column first posted July 12, 2005.
Paul Hertelendy is a critic with the San Francisco Bay Area arts website www.artssf.com. To visit his website, click here: PAUL
You can comment on this column online. Please address your message to either "The Editors" or Paul Hertelendy. To send an email, click here and mention Paul's name: talkback@thecolumnists.com
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