Have you seen ....?

At the end of the year I am posting a poem and some photos celebrating the natural beauty around Cusco. I actually wrote the poem last year in Spanish, with a bit of help from Sammy, and then recently translated it into English. It’s just a simple poem and perhaps doesn’t sound so good in English, but here it is anyway, in both languages. As you may notice, it is not a direct translation – I had to re-write it a bit to make the lines fit! Our ‘Club NaturaNiños’ continues to be a highlight of most weeks and we continually make new discoveries. Recently, we found hundreds of moths fluttering about at the bottom of the woods where we had only found caterpillars before. Last week, a network of caves. Today, checking out a possible route for this Saturday, Sammy and I were delighted to find our purple mushrooms which, for the third year running, are growing in exactly the same place just for a few days at New Year. We discovered these by accident on a wet day in a little copse where it is likely that no one else ventures. Our God gives us so many beautiful things and we miss so many of them. That is the thought that sparked this poem.

¿Has visto?

¿Has visto el sol rojo sonriendo en las mañanas?

¿Has visto en las nubes mis pinturas que te doy?

¿Has visto los relámpagos que echo en las montañas?

¿Has visto las estrellas hablando de quién Soy?

¿Encontraste la abeja que voló por tu ventana?

¿Encontraste en tu patio el pequeño colibrí?

¿Encontraste esta tela hecha bien por mi araña?

¿Encontraste el champiñón que era solo para ti?

¿Escuchaste la canción que cantó mi pajarito?

¿Oliste en tu camino esta flor que yo crecí?

¿Cogiste la manzana en tu arbolito?

Te he dado tantas cosas y tú dices, ‘¡No las vi!’

Has mirado las pantallas por casi doce horas

Correos electrónicos, tu Smartphone y el Wii

Películas y facebook y dos computadoras

Y mientras has perdido lo que hice para ti.

Have you seen?

Have you seen my orange sun smiling every morning?

Have you seen my sculptures in the clouds that drift and race?

Have you seen the lightening that I throw onto the mountains?

Have you seen the stars each one so perfectly in place?

Did you find the hummingbird I sent to bring you laughter?

Did you find the bee that buzzed so softly as it flew?

Did you find the web so finely made by my small spider?

Did you find the toadstool made especially for you?

Did you hear the tune that my little bird was warbling?

Did you pick the apple ripe and ready on your tree?

Did you smell the flower that I grew beside your pathway?

There are many gifts I gave you but it seems you didn’t see.

You have stared at several screens today for 8 or 9 long hours   

Television, laptop, tablet, Iphone too

Emails, Youtube, messages and too much time on facebook

And meanwhile you have missed so much that I had made for you.

Jenny and Sammy Feb 2013, translation Dec 2014