*Special Note: This comic strip was created using ToonDo (www.toondo.com). The dialogue between the Manga characters is an actual Twitter feed conversation between my friends and I.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
The Inquiry
*Special Note: This comic strip was created using ToonDo (www.toondo.com). The dialogue between the Manga characters is an actual Twitter feed conversation between my friends and I.
In the Strangest of Places...
Special Note: This photo was taken in my actual living room in my real apartment. I can't remember the brand of the wall paint, but I used the household name "Sherwin Williams" to create this poster advertisement. By the way, this wall color really is named "guacamole," and my dining room's wall color is "salsa red." No joke. An interesting note: I learned Adobe Photoshop tricks in order to create the above image.
Innocence Lost
Chan Chan(1) reached for the ancient fruit,
Like an alligator's spawn, young and green,
The cries of his people grew,
They were here--fighting,
Taking items as if they were a belonging,
Chan Chan shed a tear and prayed for peace.
The sun set and then fell peace,
Dark shadows crawled over the fruit,
Night soothed the tension--belonging,
Quiet and relaxed was the inner green,
Taking a recess from the weeping and fighting,
Yet, light returns; fear grew.
As the shouts and cursing grew,
A longtime friend made his escape, Peace,
Was his name and worth fighting,
He ran and ran, passing by the fruit
Down through the fields of lush green,
Searching for another place of belonging.
Where had Chan Chan misplaced that ol' sense of belonging?
Frustration, despair, slowly grew.
And then, there was the green.
His only pathway to peace.
"Tranquilo(2) , fuerte(3), " spoke the fruit.
With humility: "I'm not worth the fighting."
In the distance, ensued more fighting,
Chan Chan and the fruit together, belonging,
The Warrior, and, aguacate(4), the fruit.
Their bond, like roots of the Mother Tree, grew.
And, for a split second, entered Peace,
like the dove carrying the green.
Then, the rain came with the scent of green,
The thunder rolled, echoing the roars of fighting,
Death. Silence. And, finally, peace.
Rebirth. Renew. No more false belonging,
The conquistadores were gone. The celebrations grew.
Chan Chan smiled in the presence of the omniscient fruit.
Here arrives Peace, followed by green,
Rejoiceful, the fruit knows no more fighting,
With Chan Chan, a belonging, a new found future that grows and grew. (5)
(1) Chan Chan is a pre-Incan city said to have existed circa 900 AD.
(2) Translation: tranquil or calm.
(3) Translation: strength.
(4) Aguacate is the Incan word for avocado, or the first known word for the fruit.
(5) Ruiz, B. (2006). All about avocados: history of the Hass avocado. Retrieved Apr. 20, 2010, from What's Cooking America, California. Web site: http://whatscookingamerica.net/avacado.htm.
Special note: "Innocence Lost" is my first try at writing a traditional sestina. I wanted to use this form to convey the sense of old and traditional; my attempt was to re-create a legend story of the discovery of the first avocado.
Like an alligator's spawn, young and green,
The cries of his people grew,
They were here--fighting,
Taking items as if they were a belonging,
Chan Chan shed a tear and prayed for peace.
The sun set and then fell peace,
Dark shadows crawled over the fruit,
Night soothed the tension--belonging,
Quiet and relaxed was the inner green,
Taking a recess from the weeping and fighting,
Yet, light returns; fear grew.
As the shouts and cursing grew,
A longtime friend made his escape, Peace,
Was his name and worth fighting,
He ran and ran, passing by the fruit
Down through the fields of lush green,
Searching for another place of belonging.
Where had Chan Chan misplaced that ol' sense of belonging?
Frustration, despair, slowly grew.
And then, there was the green.
His only pathway to peace.
"Tranquilo(2) , fuerte(3), " spoke the fruit.
With humility: "I'm not worth the fighting."
In the distance, ensued more fighting,
Chan Chan and the fruit together, belonging,
The Warrior, and, aguacate(4), the fruit.
Their bond, like roots of the Mother Tree, grew.
And, for a split second, entered Peace,
like the dove carrying the green.
Then, the rain came with the scent of green,
The thunder rolled, echoing the roars of fighting,
Death. Silence. And, finally, peace.
Rebirth. Renew. No more false belonging,
The conquistadores were gone. The celebrations grew.
Chan Chan smiled in the presence of the omniscient fruit.
Here arrives Peace, followed by green,
Rejoiceful, the fruit knows no more fighting,
With Chan Chan, a belonging, a new found future that grows and grew. (5)
(1) Chan Chan is a pre-Incan city said to have existed circa 900 AD.
(2) Translation: tranquil or calm.
(3) Translation: strength.
(4) Aguacate is the Incan word for avocado, or the first known word for the fruit.
(5) Ruiz, B. (2006). All about avocados: history of the Hass avocado. Retrieved Apr. 20, 2010, from What's Cooking America, California. Web site: http://whatscookingamerica.net/avacado.htm.
Special note: "Innocence Lost" is my first try at writing a traditional sestina. I wanted to use this form to convey the sense of old and traditional; my attempt was to re-create a legend story of the discovery of the first avocado.
Brokaw Nursery of Saticoy, California
Austere, grandfather-aged mountains
stand tall in the background, looking over
the young army of avocado trees.
The blindingly bright southern California sol*,
and dry, coffee-colored soil
cradle the incubating fruit.
Early afternoon sun beams overhead,
in an ocean blue sky, cloudless.
Rustling avocado leaves,
Chase the wind's every move.
The crow caws in the distance,
as the trees are sprayed with Nature's gift--
water, by man-made irrigation systems.
Who owns this farm?
What inspired the farmer to grow avocados?
Will this year's crop yield productive?
Will I eat one of their Hass avocados?
A calm overwhelms me.
I am inspired, refreshed, and
hungry.
The avocado leaves praise the sun.
The avocado leaves praise the sun.
The avocado leaves praise the sun.**
*Translation: sun.
**Brokaw, E. (2009). Brokaw nursery. Retrieved Apr. 10, 2010, from Brokaw Nursery, Inc., Saticoy, CA. Web site: http://brokawnursery.com/.
Katrina's ¿Que Guay?* Guacamole
1 avocado1 tsp. cayenne powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 T lime juice
2-4 drops of Texas Pete hot sauce
1 tsp. chili powder
Additional ingredients may include: diced tomato, diced onion, minced jalapeno pepper, and/or chopped cilantro.
Cut avocado length-wise. Use sharp knife to quickly jab into large seed and twist. Eject seed. Slice avocado into squares within avocado skin. Spoon out the avocado meat. Discard skin. Mash avocado in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Combine ingredients. Mix.
Serves: 2-3 persons or 1 avocado lover
Note: This guacamole recipe also makes for a great spread for many sandwiches, such as the Turkey BLT. The possibilities are endless! So, try it!
*Translation: How cool/awesome!
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