PAMPAS:

Today I want to run away, not from anything, but towards myself, & to do that I am going to Argentina. I am transported to the Pampas, those magnificent prairies of nothingness where there is nothing to disturb the soul. The empty countryside goes on forever & melds with the horizon where the sun is saluting the day. I sit on the stubbly grass & look around me. In the distance there are some Gauchos on horseback, whooping & throwing their bolos into the crisp air, but they are far enough not to disturb me. Overhead el "condor pasa", a lone condor dancing seductively with the thermals, weaving his secrets upon a cloudless heat-kissed sky. The silence is majestic in her presence, & I am totally & utterly alone & at one with the earth & sky. I have my eyes closed, feeling the breeze upon my cheek, & the aromas of wild herbs lull me into oblivion. Suddenly, from nowhere a black stallion is standing in front of me with a Gaucho astride his magnificent back. The man is swarthy & wrapped in a colourful blanket which hides his smile, & I only see his dark smouldering eyes in the shade of his sombrero as he bends down from his steed & hands me a silver cup with a silver straw, saying, “su mate Señora". He turns & gallops off, leaving a cloud of dust, disappearing into nothing. I sip my ancient tribal tea, mate, it is bitter, hot & acrid, like my tired soul, just what I need to clear out the past & face the reality of today.