Jalapa~

Jalapa~

Arturo, the Jalapa Valley 'bug stomper'

Arturo lives wishing
he would turn fifteen
then he will be a "Roller"
the highest honor in the land

Fumar Perfecto!
you either have the gift
or you do not
Arturo practices daily with banana leafs
taught to him by 'grand papa'
who told him;

"You only have two choices in life,
to be a 'Roller'
and work in the cool sheds
or to be a worker
and work in the 'hot' fields.
I will teach you to be a great 'Roller'
then you can work where ever you want to."

The goal of most men
in the Jalapa Valley
an 'organic' piece of heaven
that fell into Central America
and was lost in the jungles of Nicaragua

Stepping knee deep in the fields
of jalap and corojo
his roots planted in the same soil
picking the bugs up by hand
and stamping them out

One hundred 'insects'
brings a shiney new 'centavo' (cent)
at this rate
it will only take a year
to save enough money
for a pair of shoes
then he feels he will be able to do
a better job

Tossing dirt clods
like handgrenades
at others
doing the same thing
working ...

'Bug Stomping'