Writing poetry in a language other than ones first (or native language) can be either a more welcome challenge or a bigger pain depending on what side of the poetry fence you are on. I have recently experimented with writing poems in spanish and offer a few here. I have taken some creative as well as linguistic license. Hope you enjoy them.

The first is in the Haiku style.

Flores
Flores del campo
muestran colores fuertes
me dan belleza

Another deals with our crazy word using some rhyme.

El Mundo Loco
Dos y dos son tres
un año es un mes
el rojo es cafe
anarquía es la ley

Mi playa es mi casa
Mi primo es my prima
Mi perra es mi gata
y mi uva es mi pera

Abajo es arriba
y la izquierda la derecha.
Puede ver un poco
El mundo mio loco?

Finally, a third poem, mushy by most standards in free verse.

Mi Estrella
Tu eres la estrella del dia, de la noche y
la luz de mi vida.
Su luz es el faro de mi camino
la belleza de la oscuridad alrededor el mundo.

No te vayas, no me sales
Eres mis ojos y sobre todo
Eres la guarda de mi corazon
y la escencia de mi amor.

El sol me traiga el calor
y el día lleno de la luz
Sin embargo espero la noche
y solamente para su resplandor y su amor.

Hope you enjoyed them. Try your hand at poems in another language. With a little patience and practice you might be able to create something that is very meaningful to you.

Brent Rourk

A very tasty and popular dish from Ecuador is called llapingachos, fried potato cakes - a dish our Spanish classes have tried this year. Though it takes a bit of time to prepare, a few additional hands will cut the time and increase the appetites of those helping. It is a fun dish to make as a group or family because there are several steps and additional side dishes – everybody has a job or two to do.

I recommend that you serve it in traditional ways with Salsa de Mani (a peanut sauce), a typical salad of lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and lime juice (avocado and garlic too), different sausages, fruit, and some juice. It is also traditionally served at times with rice, but if you are wanting to limit the starches, then omit the rice.

It is a tasty and colorful comfort food. Watch them disappear quickly once you get them to the table. Please check the following links for traditional recipes for llapingachos:

http://www.whats4eats.com/recipes/r_ve_llapingachos.php 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llapingachos

http://www.recipezaar.com/35823

http://www.ciaprochef.com/peanuts/peanuts-recipe-08.html

Salvador Dali was an incredible Spanish painter and more. He was a master at virtually all painting styles. For more about Dali see this link  See also the section to the left that contains more Dali links. During the summer of 2007 I visited the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. I would strongly recommend that you make time to visit that museum if you are in Florida. Plan at least a 4 hour visit. They have an amazing collection of Dali’s works.

Dali is one of my many favorite artists for several reasons. His technical skill, use of symbolism, and personal expression are very unique and astonishingly thought-provoking. He is an artist who can easily elicit laughs, cries, and long pauses of thoughtful conisderation, sometimes within the scanning or perusal of the same painting. He remained a staunch individualist throughout his life, remaining true to his beliefs regardless of cost or criticism.

For a basic foundation about Dali go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvador_Dal%C3%AD 

Also, look to the left under PAGES and see ‘Spanish and Mexican Art’ for more information about artists from the Spanish-speaking world.