No Helmet

March 15,2012

He always makes me wear one. It boxes my head in

Separated from the beauty and life around me

My head bobbles

The strap cuts my chin

Knocking against the corners of my head

That do not fit the contours

Open the flap, let in some breeze

The sweat has gathered

Snap it shut again

When the dust is stirred

On the highway

It gives the illusion of protection

Even though I know one slip from the driver and I am dead

I imagine my leg in a tree

Like he said he saw after an accident

But on the back roads

When there is no helmet to be had

Freedom

I play the cowgirl as I swing my leg over the seat

The engine roars before I have a firm grasp on his shoulder

I love the sound of wind

Brushing past my ears

With no apologies

Flying through nature

The green that only tropics have

The blue that belongs to Brazil

The 4:30pm sun that doesn't burn

Leaves a haze over the sugarcane fields

I slide uncomfortably close to the driver downhill

Try to reposition without being awkward

The stones make my teeth chatter

The view makes my heart hurt

"I'm the lucky one"

I whisper to myself

And hope the feeling will never grow old

The bridge runs just over the river

It will be flooded in rainy season

But for now it gives a perfect view of purple flowers

Growing in green weeds

That cover the dark ripples of water

He says those plants only grow in polluted water

The goat on the bank doesn't mind

I turn my head and squeeze my eyes

To hide from the dust blowing at us

The red dirt leaves a residue on my skin

It was a good day with 29 children

Who learned how to say "Thank you"

And listened to my fractured reading of "The Giving Tree"

In Portuguese

This morning was six little kids wanting two scooters

My practical lesson for the character quality of the week: Generosity

It ended with four crying children and two scooting around happily

I hope it is an easier character quality next week

I look down at my foot with the black line of dirt where my sandal was

My nose burnt even with SPF 30

Tired but happy

I wish I could put it on paper

The way it really is

Instead of random lines of words

That I try to tie together into a sentence