Jonathan Rivas Lemus: ‘El valle de las hamacas’
Jonathan Rivas Lemus reading ‘El valle de las hamacas’
In a land so small, it's hidden among green valleys and wild volcanoes.
Blue-and-green birds with pendulum tails fly and tall plants with spiky leaves grow.
La flor de izote blooms in the hot, thick air and sways in the warm, tropical breeze.
Small houses are found, adorned with lush, overgrown veraneras.
And people speak loudly, stray dogs bark and you say “Buenas” to everyone.
For some reason mosquitoes know you’re not from there and you’re left wondering why no one else has been bitten and you have so many.
The Saviour of the World is found and the Holy Saviour is shadowed by The Big Mouth.
You’re already awake by 6 o’clock in the morning;
to the high-pitched buzzing of mosquitoes in your room,
to strange little, green geckos making chirping noises
and people walking up and down streets yelling melodically:
¡Paaaan!
¡Yuca fritaaaa!
¡Chilateeee!
¡Lecheeee!
¡Eloteeess!
¡Quesoooo!
Running down el pasaje para comprar unas pupusas revueltas de la Niña Rosa.
Boys and girls are called cipotes and cipotas.
And when it rains and the sun is still out está pariendo la venada.
Or when someone sweeps your feet with a broom te vas a casar con una persona viuda.
La Siguanaba punishes womanisers and El Cipitio throws pebbles at beautiful women.
El pulgarcito de Latinoamérica.
For so long no se encontraba ni Dios, ni Unión, ni Libertad.
It’s history black like the sands of its beaches.
Find the fiery árbol de fuego or the rosy maquilishuat bloom in all its pride and glory.
Lazily rock yourself in your hammock, or let the earth beneath do it for you…
Todo comenzó en el valle de las hamacas.
Jonathan Rivas Lemus is a Salvadoran-Australian aspiring poet and writer. Born and raised in the western suburbs of Melbourne, his heritage has been a big part of who he is. Growing up in a large family, who migrated to Australia in 1991, his parents instilled in him and his siblings to speak, read and write in Spanish. Having grown up listening to stories told from both his parents about El Salvador, he fell in love with that far away country across the Pacific. Having studied Professional Writing and Editing at Vic Uni, this permitted him to hone his writing and poetry skills. Mostly writing poetry about love and heartbreaks, he also writes about self-love and identity in both English and Spanish. Always looking for something new to read, he is constantly ordering books online. You can read more of his poetry on Instagram @j.a.rivaslemus