The Hot Summer of 1984 (Excerpt)

 

The rain
Tenderly, light rain falls
as fresh as a spring morning.
How lovely!
In the coming weeks,
people will work in the “desfolhada”.
You are out in the rain,
care not if it’ll drip down you.
Not everyone can be caught by the rainfall
in the first days, after the drought.
Tenderly, light rain falls
as fresh as a spring morning.
You are told that, by being more prudent,
you could cope with the strains,
having a better life, more peaceful and serene.
Tenderly, light rain falls
as fresh as a spring morning.

“desfolhada” – Portuguese maize harvest tradition 

Quito Arantes (2020). The Hot Summer of 1984