January 23, 2011
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I am Queen of the World today
I got a ride to the airport with Jeff and Lindsay
tried to catch a bus to the Boa Vista mall
Found out I was waiting on the wrong side of the road
The old man tipped his hat to America
And said many other things I didn’t understand when I asked for directions
I am Queen of the world today
I sat next to a gentleman who’d traveled Brazil
The busses are bad in Manaus, he said
Everything is expensive in Fernando De Noronia
As I got off the bus the rain began
It beat against me as I ate Manioc cake
And shared the change with a begger
I am Queen of the world today
The bookstore is a heaven that I cannot share
I can only take with me a couple pieces
And chosing which ones…isn’t heaven anymore
Two bags of books to carry home–I feel successful from my treasure hunt
The rest can wait for another day
I am Queen of the world today
The sun beats down on my back as I write these words
I watch the trash float down the river as the man
Throws out his net to catch fish. Nothing.
The guy next to him pulls in twenty, boasting loudly
The other guy cusses even louder
Old Recife on one side, the road towards the mall on the other
I am halfway across, in the middle of the bridge
I am Queen of the world today
I carefully walk over bottle tops and tree roots that have taken over the sidewalk
I cross the street to the closely knit stores
All selling the same thing for the same price
They stand in the shadow of the majestic Catholic cathedrals
Coconut rings–whole strands for five dollars
I am Queen of the world today
Japanese tapioca for one Real
I balance my bags, the spoon, and my food with the jostling crowd
Amazon fruit juice before I get on the busride home
The women puts in powders and ingredients until I’ve lost count
Hoping to God they are all clean and legal
They always tell me not to buy from street vendors
I am Queen of the world today
I sit on the semi-express bus
Waiting to leave and wash off the dirt of a day in the city
Under the statue of the man and a chicken, the street girl
Has turned into a woman, sleeping through the day
I am Queen of the world today
Released from a cage of my own construction
I flutter from place to place
reveling in aloneness, sunshine, and two feet to walk anywhere
“Unrequited” by Ani DiFranco falls out of my earphones
I am Queen of the world today
