| VACATION #15 KALIMAN STRIKES FOR PEACE! His namesake is Kaliman, a Mexican comic-book superhero. He's muscular but skinny. A scroungy yard dog fed on tortillas and masa. Kaliman lives in Villa Comaltitlan, a little village of five thousand people in the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico. His home is only a few feet from the river Chalaca where he sometimes swims. His backyard consists of fruit trees, a well, a pila, chickens, ducks, and turkeys -- all running free, and a carpenter shop. His tropical garden is overseen by Lorenzo, a parrot who sings ballads. They say he sings about his lost love, Amor Perdido. Kaliman isn't spoiled the way dogs are in the States. He's left to his own devices. His contribution to the family is to act as watchdog. One day you are out in the yard dreaming and talking to the trees. You look over the low fence to the neighbor's garden. Kaliman is trying to take a nap. His family's rooster is visiting also. The rooster is having a dispute with the neighbor's cock. Kaliman loves tranquility. The fighting roosters are disturbing him. You watch him get up and take his own rooster carefully in his mouth, saying in the language of animals, "Stay over here in peace. I want to sleep." Then he goes back to his own spot to resume his nap, but the roosters want to continue their argument and begin fighting again. Kaliman gets up and takes his rooster in his mouth, removing him from the fighting arena and silently admonishes him. For you watching, it is a story of love and peace, a reflection of the character of the people who live in his house. The hot afternoon drifts on. The roosters finally bow to Kaliman's wishes. The only sound that remains is Lorenzo singing his lost-love songs. You pick a papaya and squeeze some lime on it and sit down in your rocking chair in the garden. Momentarily, you think about the competition on the highways. You smile. What you and your friends need back home is a Kaliman to teach you about tranquility. ***** |