The Prophet-Kahlil Gibran (10/50)

Born in  1883 in the mountain village of Bisharri, Gibran grew up atractted to both, his artits and writer side. The prophet was not written actively, actually, it was a product of inspiration. Reviewed with one of his greatest partners Mary Haskell, the book acquaires a prophetic and paternal tone which unites the mind with the heart.

After twelve years in Orphalese, Almustafa is ready to return to his native island. However, when leaving and feel deeply nostalgic.

 "A seeker of silence am I, and what treasure have I found  in silences 

that I may dispense with confidence?"

People start to get near, start to miss the prophet... One of them is Almitra, the first person in Orphalese who believed in him in spite he had been but a day in the village. Villagers question him about the main topics of Humanity:

Love

"Love has not other desire but tu fulfil itself" 

Children

"Your children are not your children.
They are sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself."

Pain

"Much of your pain is self chosen"

When he is leaving he meditates about himself:

"We wanderers, ever seeking the lonelier way, begin no day

where we have ended another day; and no sunrise finds us

where sunset left us"

In spite of the strong religious force that the Prophet character may suggest, the way to write is open, avoids the word God and is extremely inclusive in relation with women.

La Sangre

País de tres colores,
Manzanilla y café entre lágrimas de mujer.

Me veo, me desvelo.
Circo y muerte en la Santa María.

País de tucanes y políticos,
Agua en el campo, brizna y muerte.

Nación de Bolívar y Santander,
Quintas y mansiones, molinos y casas de cartón.

Camino la Ciudad

Has posado tus segundos sobre ecos de sirenas... De ambulancias.
La mariposa se ha posado delicadamente... Sobre un noveno piso.
Los ángeles de cementerio suplican en gesto de silencio... Al lado de la autopista;
me susurras secretos profundos de amor... En una fila de supermercado.

La música que arrulla viene del agua que cae... Sobre las alcantarillas.
nos alecciona sobre el mundo que negamos... En aparta estudios;
Vemos círculos de aire y hojas flotar... encima del pavimento hirviendo.
Cultos y religiones... En garajes y bodegas.

Has posado tus segundos sobre ecos de sirenas y ambulancias.
Mariposas de noveno piso, terrazas abandonadas donde soplan remolinos.
Aleccionados todos, en intimidades que se cuantifican en metros cuadrados.
Laicismo de callejuelas, credos ilegales.

The Picture of Dorian Gray- Oscar Wilde (9/50)

Basil Hallward paints (and is captivated) by the beauty of a young man called Dorian Gray. Lord Henry, initially a friendo of Basil, meets Dorian. The lord has a particular theory about the senses, the pleasure and life. He gives advide to Dorian to enjoy the pleasures of life.

Basil finishes the picture of Dorian and gives it to the model. The boy realizes he will be old and desires to keep beautiful and young. He falls in love with Sibyl Vane, a theater actress whose feelings towards Prince Charming (Dorian) become increasingly passionate. However, one night in front of everyone she forgets her acting power and gives herself to love. The failure in the theater disappoints Dorian and lead him to leave her. She suicides.

After the suicide the charming portray of Dorian changes its expression. Basil asks to watch his master piece; however, Dorian is ashamed and hides it as if it was some criminal proof. Gray assumes Sibyl's death and continuous going to Opera, searching for beauty as if his soul was a white canvas.

Lord Henry introduces Dorian to the world of The Yellow Book which contains fascinanting elements for the boy. Actually, he becomes obsessed by the ancient crimes, the experiences of life led to the edge. 

The experiences of Dorian go further the English morals. He is searching for pleasure. The women get red when he goes to public gatherings, his friends get "perverted" and his behavior is targeted by London society. 

One day, Basil visits his old friend and can not believe what society says about him. Hallward believes his beauty would have been altered if he had been responsible for the crimes mentioned; hence, Dorian takes the painter to the place where he hid his picture and after a deep feeling of hatred comes out, Gray kills the artist. Dorian forces Alan (a scientist) to disappear the body. Alan does it and suicides.

In a night a woman calls Dorian, Prince Charming. The brother of Sibyl Vane recognyzes him and tries to kill him; however, Dorian asks him to watch his face and think about his age. He is too young to be the old lover of Vane's sister.

While hunting, one of Dorian's friends kills Sibyl's brother. Gray feels relieved. When he watches the picture he looks someone completely modified and perverted: an ugly man. He decides to kill that horrible sign of his biography. After some screams... The people find Dorian on the floor with a very undesirable aspect and the picture unmodified, as charmig as the first time.

Declaración de Guerra (Parte I)

Ante las mañanas frías, buses contaminados, botaderos... Con el pavimento y las estrellas como testigos, quiero declararme en guerra contra el mundo. Y no es cosa sencilla, que haya surgido como un arrebato veinteañero... No, no es así. Bien se sabe que los colombianos somos la mezcla de indígenas, negros y españoles. Heredamos la luna y sus misterios, el movimiento de caderas africano y la locura del Quijote. Y eso es lo que haré, una quijotada, me opongo a pensar que todo es vacío y maldad en este desierto llamado siglo XXI. Me opongo a creer en la posibilidad de un mundo sin salarios de pesar y destinos indignos.

Las almas no nacieron para contemplarse en sistemas de transporte público, de 7 de la mañana, de contratos por proyecto, de desempleo, de notarios ricos y pintores pobres. Mi amenaza no debe ser tomada como cualquier cosa, saben bien los que me siguen que antes de que existiera la palabra "multinacional", existía la inspiración... Y mucho antes de que supiéramos qué era un salario mínimo, Pandora nos había enseñado la palabra Esperanza.

Sé que ellos se aman... Lo supe desde que noté el vertiginoso vacío que distanciaba sus pieles. Se extrañan, se hablan como amigos de bachillerato pero se extrañan. Sobretodo se extrañan cuando percatan la ausencia, cuando se descubren incompletos; la herida duele y se buscan con frenesí. Se disuelven en esas palmaditas en el hombro, en esas pequeñas escapadas que hemos inventado los homosexuales para evadir el mundo y sus controles.

El mundo

El mundo tiene teatro, tiene música, tiene medicina; el planeta del deporte, de los atardeceres y las aguas que corren. La tierra tiene sexo, reproducción y maternidad; tiene besos, postres y arquitectura. Tenemos teléfonos, computadoras y camas de algodón... Tenemos esteras, selvas y desnudez. El globo azul tiene cartas, condones y narcóticos. El mundo tiene gente, sentimientos y futuro. Por eso vale la pena vivir, para ver el mundo, sin prejuicios, con unos ojos adultos conscientes de las heridas y proezas de nuestra civilización.