The maiden of Moquegua

She hangs up her clothes, one by one

Clothespins tight on lines of chicken wire,

The Moquegua Maiden of Huancayo

(Under the rays of the winter sun

(between four houses and a courtyard).

It’s mid-afternoon, she’s calm, she says “Hello”

Straight eyes on what you have to do,

Tenderness in their moods–

My intuition, like her,

They are few…!

Note: Good maids are hard to find, even in Peru, and when you find one, it’s best to stick with her, lest your maid rent your garage to a street resident, or your water bill tens. Sometimes the right amount because she is doing neighborhood laundry (at her own expense) because she wants some side business, or maybe she will sell her books when she goes fishing. Some have even sold their employers’ houses when they have been gone for long periods of time. All of these things have happened to me (except the last one, which almost happened), so as you’d expect, finding a good maiden is an act of God. No.: 1872 9-6-2007. Dedicated to Doris de Huancayo.

Spanish version

The Moquegua Employee

She hangs out her clothes one by one

Clamps tight on metal cords,

The employee of Moquegua de Huancayo street

(under the rays of the winter sun

between four houses and a courtyard).

It’s noon, she’s quiet, she says “Hello”

Direct eyes on what to do;

There is tenderness besides ways–

My intuition is that–like her,

there are only few…!

Note: Good employees are hard to find, even in Peru, and when you do find one, it’s best to keep it, lest you find your garage leased by your employee to a resident of the block, or your water bill ten times over Appropriate amount since she is doing laundry for the neighborhood (at your expense) because she wants a business next door, or perhaps she will sell your books, when she is out fishing. Some have even sold their employers’ houses when they have been gone for long periods. All these things have happened to me (except the last one, which almost happened), so as you can see, finding a good employee is an act of God. In the Mantaro Valley, most people still wash and dry their clothes the old way, they do it by hand and hang it anywhere they can: some wash their clothes in the river, and hang them over bushes allowing that’s sequence.

# 1872 June-9-2007 (Dedicated to Doris).

love and butterflies

[For Elsie T. Siluk my mother]

She fought a good fight

The last of many–

Until there was nothing left

Where once, there was a lot.

And so, balanced and dignified

She said, ‘bye-bye’, in her own way

and left behind

a great old time

room for another

Love and butterflies…

That was my mother.

–By Dennis L. Siluk © 7/03