mil e uma noites (I)

I’ll dress like an Arab, with complete black robes.

You, a dancer.
A veil covering your face, show only but your glowing eyes.

We’ll dance in the desert for a crowd of stars.
On one side, fire and tents paint the sand of gold with floating shadows and shapes, over the nightly cold. On the other, musicians and snake whisperers soak the canvas with a magical mist full of music and dreams, where we take the leading role following a tune known only to us

peter pan

i’m but a child,
with no past, no future
just the excitement of the moment,
waiting for the next surprise.

i gaze the world in awe,
amazed by all its beautiful things
i believe in power and magic,
an unexpected meeting,
the discovery of something new
dreams, and even fairytales

i believe in friendship and in love,
and that there is always someone
to take your hand, and clean your tears
i believe in heroes and in villains,
that there is always someone to look up to,
and someone who tries to bring you down

i fight for what i believe even if it scares or hurts me,
and when i feel beaten from a battle unknown or lost
i get comfort in knowing that my soul can fly,
in the warmth of a happy thought

storyteller

i've written many stories, but none of them became my own

treasures from the chest II [the story of a lost key]

Part I:
It's not like you don't like the sun, it's just that the rain makes you feel cosy and protected when you're home. You love love stories and valiant discreet princes. You love OTH and all the series that make you dream and sight. You don't like Sci fi nor anything purely fictional because: it's not possible! You Love art and music as it transports you to another world where all the strokes were perfectly and harmoniously out, surrounded by music that lifts up your soul. You say you don't like surprises, as they're out of your control, but you love to be positively surprised. You love to be a princess, and to feel protected, and the boy must be the one to do the work…

Part II:
You want to move to Paris, lead a new exciting life, and leave the small town behind, but you're afraid that you'll lose your happy places, and you don't have any safe haven there yet. You love your dog, although sometimes he can be a real pain. You love your family, and it kills you to feel that they're spreading and fleeing from each other. You don't mind the distances, as long as you're close to the heart. You love your friends, and love to know that there are a precious few that no matter what will always be there. You like to feel that you're unique and special, but you don't like the loneliness. You love your independence, the quiet solitude of the night and to feel in control. You have been deeply hurt in the past, and you're scared that the person you've once been will never come back. You're not sure if you're ever going to trust or give yourself to someone for real again. You're proud and stubborn, you hate when other people are right and you're not. You're beautiful, inside and outside, but you're afraid to look into the mirror as you're not sure what you're going to see. You love flowers, chocolate and White. You love red wine, candles and to feel wanted.

Part III:
You love sexy underwear and you love to look into everything with a different set of eyes: you love to capture those unique moments that are perceptible only to those who know how to look. You love painting, but you lost your drive and are not sure how to get it again. You’re sexy and when you smile the world around is a better place. You like to cook, and love to host for the people you love. You really like your home, but right now, the walls have too many memories. You love anything that is spontaneous and pure from the heart, and you can't stand any feeble attempts to imitate it (you've got a pretty good eye to spot them). You easily get bored, drifting away to other worlds, whenever you're disliking the current one. You can't stand disappointment and people that are not true. You like to explore new places (selective ones), make them your special place. You like pretty much to eat, and anything that can get more sugar on it, it's good. You have a big heart, but you still don't know how to use it without leading to misunderstandings. You're not sure what the future holds, you don't even know what you want from it, but you have it clear what you don't want. You're afraid that some people think you're futile, just because you have a different way of looking at things. You love to speak through your eyes, and show what words would only ruin.

tonight

somewhere tonight, a boy and a girl have found their dreams, their hearts, in each other’s eyes. somewhere tonight, a boy and a girl have fallen in love

tonight, was not my night

claire de lune

nos meus sonhos volto a essa praia deserta e escura
onde te encontrei nua,
onde me perdi, me entreguei, me encontrei
em ti, à noite e à lua

l'incontro (Part III and final)

“She lures men to fall in love with her, and they all come to me for help. I asked her to seduce you Gabriel, she doesn’t love you at all…”- said the Devil
“No! You don’t understand!, he’s lying!” – Mary was sobbing; thick tears fell from her eyes clearing the dirt and the blood. Gabriel was devastated; he kept on looking at Mary trying to understand what was real.
“Now, Gabriel, join me, and I’ll give you Mary as a gift. She’ll be your own slave and will do whatever you want. A woman like this doesn’t deserve more than this. Hell, I’ll even throw in a sweetener, you’ll be as rich as you can imagine! What do you say?”
Gabriel kept on looking at Mary. His eyes were fixed in her. He was in pain; his face mirrored the disappointment he was feeling.
“Take me. Leave her alone, and never come back.”- Gabriel said
“Hum… and lose a good recruiter…”
“Take it or leave it!”
“Don’t do that, please don’t!” – shouted Mary, getting up
“I’ll take it!” – the Devil replied, and beaming turned to Mary “- you’re free to go, this contract is good and I’ll leave you alone, for all I care. I no longer had any use for you anyway” – he then turned to Gabriel. – “But you’re coming with me. Now!”
The Devil summoned a knife and headed towards Gabriel, his eyes fixed on his pray, silently laughing.
Mary start sprinting, jumped in front of Devil trying to stop the knife. “Leave him alone! You can’t take him! He has done nothing, I love him! I love him! I love him!” – screamed Mary. In an instant blow, the Devil threw Mary to the ground and dropped the knife, and fiercely looked at her.
A strange glow started shining on Gabriel. A bright blue flame, almost invisible, seemed to cover his entire body. He grew stronger, his face determined, confident. He appeared to grow in size. His eyes were bright green. “I said: leave her alone!”- commanded Gabriel. The Devil turned. Doubt flashed through his eyes. Gabriel swiftly headed towards the Devil grabbed him by his arms, lifting him up. As his hands touched the Devil, smoke started to come out of him. The Devil's face was in pain as he helplessly tried to fight back. “It can’t be! You can’t… I’m the dark one!” – cried the Devil
“Go. And don’t come back.” – directed Gabriel to the Devil. And in a big explosion the Devil disappeared.

Silence.

The world seemed to be oblivious to what happened. Everything around came back to normal. The sounds of the night came back, and the trees seemed to stop holding their breath.
Gabriel was still with his hands in air, but he wasn’t glowing anymore.
He looked exhausted. Beaten.
He slowly turned to Mary, who was sitting on the floor looking at him, still terrorized with what had happened, not knowing who this man was anymore.
“What happened?” - she asked uneasy
“There is only one thing that beats the Devil” – Gabriel calmly said looking into her eyes. She immediately recognized the man she loved, and started smiling.
“When you jumped to the Devil, you were willing to sacrifice yourself for me, just out of love. And my deal with him, was also out of love. You see, we were both willing to die for the other no matter what. That’s true love. That’s the blue flame. The only pure selfless love that is willing to self sacrifice to save us, to make us better, and it is the only thing that beats the Devil in this world.”
He started walking towards her, and taking her on his arms, lifted her up. “Is he gone for good?” – Mary asked
“No, he’ll be around. He’ll be tempting people, luring them to him with poisoned offers, to do his dirty work. But something tells me that we won’t be seeing him again.”- he smiled, his eyes were bright green again. “Let me take you home”
Mary hugged him, kissed his face, and rested her head on his shoulder
“We can go anywhere, I’m already home.”

l'incontro (Part II)

“Leave her alone!” – shouted a voice from behind. The hooded figure turned to find a man standing defiantly looking at him. “I said leave her alone!” – repeated the man.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t a knight in shining armour…” – spitted the hooded figure “- I guess I will have some fun after all, little Mary”, he said. And with a blow on the face, he threw Mary to the ground. Dirt and blood covered Mary’s eyes; she knew whose voice was this. He came. She passed out.
A tall man was standing a couple of meters away, below a streetlight, right in front of the church. He had dark green eyes, and his expression was mixed between determination and defiance. The hooded figure turned and started looking at him in silence, curious, as if watching a new pet eager to show some tricks. He sighed –“What are you doing here, Gabriel?” – uttered the hood in a theatrical tone – “Shouldn’t you be at home sleeping or feeling helpless and sorry for yourself?”
“Go away and leave her alone, this is my last warning…” – replied Gabriel
“Oooh, I’m so scared” – joked the figure “What are you going to do? I’ve been around for thousands of years, no one defeated me. Do you really think you can just come here and scare me away? Do you even know who I am?”
Gabriel took out a small bottle of water and tried to spray him. The hooded figure started laughing and in a second he jumped to Gabriel, punched his hand, and shattered the bottle on the floor.
The figure, removed his hood. It seemed to grow in size, and to darken the entire world into background. Its face wasn’t a face you could have ever seen without invoking your greatest nightmares. It seemed human, but it didn’t have any skin in it. It had strange shapes, and symbols, and its eyes… its eyes were glowing red, as if they were windows to a burning furnace. A look at it caused fear and awakened the most primitive forms of horror and despair.
“I am the prince of darkness, a master of the universe; you have no power over me, the devil to some a dark angel to others. No holy water can harm me: your faith is weak, and so are you. I can crush you like a bug, and darken you to the world so much, that no one you ever held dear will even want to remember you.”
“You shouldn’t be here! This is not your world, it is the world of Man and free choice” – cried Gabriel
“I am! And I’ve always been here, luring Man and its choices to my own will! You’re so easily shepherded…I just need to whisper what you wish, or what you think you do, and you all come crawling…”
“But I know! You can’t interfere… you can’t harm me, you can’t harm Mary!”
“I can harm you, if I so please, I only need a corrupted soul to do my will … and Mary?, she is mine, I own her soul, I can do whatever I please with her…”
The Devil awaited these words to sink in, starring at Gabriel, as he desperately sought a way through. Gabriel looked at Mary, she was still lying on the floor half unconscious. His heart and soul, were gaining strength. “-I need to end this” – thought Gabriel
“But let’s not fight Gabriel, I can be your friend” – the Devil said, as he face gained a frightful but scary look, and his eyes turned into light grey. “- I can sense your anger, your frustration, your fear… don’t fight it, let it go. Turn to me, and I can give you whatever you want” – he said in a warm seductive voice. Mary sighted, she was awaking and looking at the both of them. Gabriel looked at her, and then to the Devil.
“Let Mary go. Release her, and never come back for her again, and I am yours”- he said defiantly
“Oh this is so much fun!”- the Devil’s eyes turned red again, and his expression more frightening than ever – “Do you even know why I own her?”
“No!!! Shut up!” – cried Mary desperately…
“She came to me to seduce a man, someone she had set her heart into. She asked for abilities and skills that would make her fascinating to his eyes. And it worked; she lived a passion for a couple of years. But it turned out, that the man wasn’t who she though he was, he started mistreating her and finally left her for another woman. Little she knew, that that man, is mine as well, she fell right into the trap… She does exactly the same for me now, she lures men to fall in love with her, and they all come to me for help. I asked her to seduce you Gabriel, she doesn’t love you at all…”

true romance [beggining and end speech]

l had to come all the way from the highways and byways of Tallahassee, Florida to Motor City, Detroit to find my true love. lf you gave me a million years to ponder, l would never have guessed that true romance and Detroit would go together. And to this day, the events that followed all seem like a distant dream. But the dream was real and was to change our lives forever. l kept asking Clarence why our world seemed to be collapsing and everything seemed so shitty. And he d say: "That s the way it goes. But don t forget, it goes the other way too. That s the way romance is. Usually that s the way it goes. But every once in a while, it goes the other way too.

(...)

Amid the chaos of that day when all l could hear was the thunder of gunshots and all l could smell was the violence in the air, l look back and am amazed that my thoughts were so clear and true. That three words went through my mind endlessly. Repeating themselves like a broken record.

You re so cool.
You re so cool.
You re so cool.

And sometimes Clarence asks me what would l have done if he had died. lf that bullet had been two inches more to the left. To this, l always smile. As if l m not going to satisfy him with a response. But l always do. l tell him of how l would want to die. But that the anguish and the want of death would fade like the stars at dawn. And that things would be much like they are now. Perhaps. Except maybe l wouldn t have named our son... Elvis.

my girl

My girl knows my million and one smiles and faces, the fake ones, and those that are hers exclusively. She sees right through me, she sees what’s going on in my soul and in my heart even when I try to shut the world out. My girl knows my strength and that I would travel the world, heaven or hell, to face and fight whatever daemons, ghosts, fears or challenges that come up; that whatever happens I’ll always give my best: heart, mind and soul to face them, to protect her, and that I won’t quit until I get there or she asks me to... She knows my weaknesses, that my greatest fear is loosing her or being betrayed. I am always [and always will be] there for her, no matter what: help her heal, dry her tears, listen or just be at her side. She knows I like to be challenged, she never lets me be lazy, give poor excuses or be a lesser man. My girl knows that even when I’m deeply concentrated on solving the mysteries of the universe, travelling thousands of miles away, working hard or just hanging out with friends, I always carry her in my heart and that makes me a better man. My girl knows that I have a temper, and only she can calm [the monster within] me when I’m mad at the world.

My girl is beautiful and when she gets into a room alone, glowing as always, everybody stares asking - “who is she?” - it is then that I take her by the arm, and with a proud smile, I let her shine. Even sick, sleepless or exhausted, she always glitters in my eyes. She is strong and fights for what [and who] she believes in [she believes in many things]. My girl has a temper too, she's stubborn: she always tries to get her own way on every argument, trying all sorts of ways [and tricks] to get it: reason, anger, sadness, teasing, whatever works that [she knows] will either trap my mind or my heart. She picks up fights whenever I’m not paying enough attention, just because making up is so good. She is always by my side, and knows exactly when I need a hug. My girl sees the world her own way, teaching me how to see beauty in all sorts of places. She believes in the power of dreams and faith, and that every wish may come true, if you rise up to it and follow it. She introduced me a fascinating world worth exploring, full of life, colour and feelings. She has a much better heart than I have, there’s [a goddess like] kindness and purity in her. She is patient, listening to me even when I’m only talking non-sense or I get too carried away. My girl loves music, and when we dance, the world stops to watch us and let us through. She is sexy and knows how to tease: with just a blink of her eyes, and that look she does to me [the way only she knows how], she awakens all the cells in my body making me take her into my arms in a long passionate love.

My girl fought for me and broke the ice in my heart, loving me unconditionally. For that and much more, she’s the person I most admire and love. There’s no other in this [or any other] world like her. The One that taught me to love, to believe and to have faith. The One who fills my life and truly makes me happy[, the luckiest man]. She’s the One: my girl.

destino

the illusion of destiny in one's identity, exacts a remarkably heavy price

hero

The Hero travels the world by himself, focused on his quests, he seeks the tracks that were once forgotten [or that common people just don’t care] which will take him to the most amazing treasures. Oblivious to all the dangers, he travels night and day, fighting wars, saving the innocent that pass on his way, and leaving a trail of admiration, hope, hate and envy wherever he goes.

You’ll only recognize a Hero either when he’s in action [that’s the easiest]: he’ll be in the middle of everything fighting to get things right, unmindful of the harm and perils that hit him, focused on getting to his goal while protecting the innocent. The other way to recognize the Hero, [and this is the hardest], is when he is in the planning or resting phase [for even heroes need to rest]. The Hero is always discreet [it’s easier to see the troubles coming or to fight an unprepared enemy when you’re not drawing the attention to yourself], he is always attentive of his surroundings [he needs to know what he can rely on, where he can go and what he can use], and he won’t talk much [at least not until he fully understands where people come from and what are their intentions], but his eyes will be deep, probing everything around and your soul until he finds what he’s looking for.

The Hero is well familiar with Fear, he knows that the greatest trap of all, is letting fear feed on itself, until it destroys someone completely. He takes his own fears, as warning signs or alerts to improve himself, and faces them with full power, intelligence and strength, because he knows that Fear is afraid of the ones who face it.

If you’re not close to him, never think that the Hero is weak, that may be your last mistake. It’s all part of his guile. He’ll take advantage of your ignorance, appear weaker than he is, and let you believe you’re so much better, so that when he strikes, even though it is right in front of your eyes, you don’t even see where he is coming from.

Some say that the Hero does not have friends and that he doesn’t love. That is not true. All people he lets come close, are for a reason, a season or a lifetime. The latter ones are the ones he truly loves; he carries them very close to the heart and whatever happens he never lets them go. He’ll protect them, make sure they get what they need to become better, stronger and happier, even if it hurts him or if it kills him in the attempt. The other ones, we’ll leave them behind, saving but good memories of the adventures spent together.

As with all extremists, the Hero has a very dark side and moments [it’s all part of the great equilibrium of life], the major difference is that the Hero will keep this hidden, facing completely alone his daemons. He will try at great lengths, to conceal this. Not only not to show any signs of weakness but also not to hurt anyone, especially those he cares about. He may sometimes let someone very close to aid him, this will be someone whose passion is so great, that he trusts his life with. This is when the Hero is most vulnerable.

Although he may appear detached to the world, the Hero’s passion is so great, that he feels it all. Conquests, treasures, new discoveries, wars, injustices, defeats and love, are his drivers through life. He’ll be always fighting to get them or against them [he is extremely suspicious of what is given to him for free]. He is not sure where he’ll find happiness or peace of mind, as it is in the fighting that he knows himself.

Some say that the Hero only stops either dying in an ultimate quest or once he finds true love. Because at the end, the only thing a Hero really fears, is forgetfulness: he is not afraid of dying, as long as his name endures in the tales and deeds that he leaves behind.
That’s why true love can also be the ultimate quest: the Hero considers that to be with someone who, not only he loves with all his heart, but that also is able to give him all the excitement and life that he feels in his quests, will let his name endure for generations to come.

reencontros

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are now preparing for landing, could you please fasten your seat belts..." - an electronic voice announces, waking me up from a feeble 1 hour nap, after 5 hours of attempts.
Only one month has passed, although it seemed an eternity: I missed you everyday and couldn't but regret how I left. Too many words unspoken, too many misunderstandings, and too much pride have drifted us away. How could I let you go?
"Mr. A. here is your coat. We have a message for you from land" - says an air attendant as she passes me a small note:

“Congrats on the job well done A. One more trophy on our shelf.
You keep this rhythm and we can retire in less than a year!
I don’t want to see you in the office on the next days, I have some ideas I’d like to discuss with you, but I need your full brainpower, and you need some rest. Go to the beach or play golf, and then we’ll talk.
M.”
This is what I do: get ideas and dreams and make them come true. To be honest, I’m not even sure how I do it. I just ensure that no matter what happens, I try to keep everyone on track and deal with every problem, on a one by one basis. Yet, when it comes to you, I am but at lost. I see a world of logic, and interconnections, but when it comes to feelings, I’m but a child trying to learn its way.
As the plane lands, I look around recognizing the city I left some time ago. Nothing changed. It is good to have some things remaining the same: you know what you can count on.
The sky is clean, and the city seems to be a sophisticated ants’ farm, full of lights and life. The roads seem to be clear, which allow me to quickly take a cab back home or to the nearest hotel… I’ll need to think what I’ll do, but I’ll leave that for tomorrow.
Right now, all I need is quick jog, a warm shower and a proper bed.
All passengers start rushing out of plane.
The smell of wet land, and the pools of water in the runway, washes my spirits, and I keep seeing flashes of all the good moments we spent together. Little strips of film that keep on running in my head, making me smile.
Although I haven’t brought much luggage, thank god for the laundries and stores open till midnight, I still wait half an hour for my suitcases. I’m not used to hearing this language anymore.
The airport is in a frenetic buzz, people from all over the world seem to be arriving, bringing together a colourful set of clothing, races and cultures. Luggage all over the place, huge cues on passport control, people getting lost between transfers, arrivals and departures, all stores full, people sleeping in the waiting seats, frustrated by delays, cabbies asking if you need a private transport or anything else, the airport is at its best. At the exit, the usual crowd cheers the newcomers with cards of welcome or more private cars hires ready to take you.
All of the sudden, two children escape from the crowd and rush into me, grabbing my legs – “Daddy, daddy! Have you brought any presents??”
I get down and kiss each one in the forehead, while they hug me as if trying to keep me from ever moving again – “We’ll see about that later. I missed you kids. Where’s you mother?”
I slowly lift my eyes and see you coming to me. Every cell in my body suddenly remembers why I want to live the rest of my life with you.
I’m not able to say a word. I get up and just stay there, looking into your eyes, trying to say I’m sorry.
You smile, and hug me into an infinite moment where everything else disappears and doesn’t matter anymore. And while I kiss you, you just whisper – “Welcome home”

world's lonely village

We live millions of different lifes everyday, packed in little silver disks or just about any other format one might think. We get to know the entire world. We share other people's adventures, trips, sorrows and happiness safely at a screen away. We use screenwriters’ emotions to live borrowed lifes, because sometimes ours is just too hard.

We hang on to promises of bright futures, happiness, riches, to sustain our own reality. We brag about our dreams, detailing them on every single aspect they could have. Saying how wonderful everything is going to be: perfect.

We get ready for them.

Heart and soul focused on getting the maps, skills and tools to make our dreams come true. As we progress, we keep on daydreaming, putting more colours into the dreams: "I'll be president", "I'll be famous", "I'll have 4 kids", "my wife will be a writer"... but we shut down whoever seems to be away from those dreams and ignore their costs.

Dreams shouldn’t be postponed, but also shouldn’t life. The beauty of every path lies in the path itself and not on the final destination.

There’s no point on keep on preparing a trip, if it’s not to be travelled.
There’s no point on ignoring the path or trying to sprint it, if crossing it is what makes you grow and be happy.
There’s no point on being cautious, if it prevents you from living.
There’s no point in taking a hard set route and goals, if you have no clue on what to expect on the other side.
There’s no point on being proud, if it prevents you from seeing your way.
There’s no point on being lonely, when it is only with love that you find happiness.

It is time to leave other peoples’ fantasies, look at everything as new, start travelling and just enjoy the journey.

Self portrait on a dark canvas

The story of a self portrait on a dark canvas

There was a beautiful little girl, pure and innocent, who believed in love stories, princes, happy endings, and true love.
There was a little girl, whose world was too big, but she was eager to know it, meet people and most important to be loved.
There was a little girl, who fell deeply in love and was loved back, and was promised that that was forever. She smiled feeling protected and with her own happy ending. The girl was happy and everything was good.
The girl grew, and she wasn't little anymore.
The happy ending turned into lies, games, treasons, pain and tears. And the true love she thought she had found wasn't what she expected. The girl ripped her heart, she cried and was alone again. She closed her heart but at least it didn't ache so much anymore.
There is a girl who created her own persona, strong, beautiful, unachievable, restless, sophisticated and always in control, but who forgets sometimes who she is and what she wants. There is a girl who built a fortress around her, surrounded by dragons and daemons.
There is a girl, who, even without meaning to, hurts everyone who comes close. A girl who still wants to believe in love stories, princes, happy endings and true love, but who is afraid to be hurt again, and doesn't know how to let anyone get close anymore. The girl has her heart locked, and doesn't know if she wants the key to be found.
There is a girl who is writing this story, and only she can write its ending.

cuento

- Hola alsi!¿Qué tal estás?
- No te conozco
- Mejor. Estoy aquí sólo para ayudarte. - sigue dibujando
- ¿Cuál es tu mote, no entiendo el dibujo.
- Es un faro, para tu isla.
- ¿Eres farero?
- Pues sí.
- Quiero contarte un cuento lleno de ventajas.
- Me encanta. Gracias.
- La primera ventaja es cuando llega el final del cuento, no se acaba, sino que cae por un agujero...¡gssjfrsss!...y el cuento reaparece en mitad del cuento.
Ésta es la segunda ventaja, y la más grande, que desde aquí se le puede cambiar el rumbo. Si tú me dejas. ¡Si me das tiempo!
- Todo el tiempo que tú quieras. ¡Sigue, por favor