Times Issue 3

Issue 3

Times 32 Issue 3 | Times 32 1

School of Modern Languages - ULA Mérida, Junio 2009

The Real Beginning of Everything

T

Revolutionary Radio: dare to share

here was once a your musical tastes. time when the echnology has reached such new levels that the way we listen to music, human race was and get to know bands and singers, is totally different from the way it dominated by power, the was a few years ago. The internet has been highly influential in this process most selfish of desires. I am and nowadays it is more common to get music online, than to buy records in a not actually referring to music store. p. 7 the times we live in now, although you might think I am. The case is, as I said, that people only wanted to feed their hree months ago, while I was spending my summer at my parents darkest desires. T house I had a funny episode with one of my aunts. She always has They didn’t care about anything but themselves. It was total been known as a feminist, the one with pants in her “marriage”, the one hell on earth. The worst thing was that people didn’t realize the who tells me that men must never come before me in anything; you could mess they were causing. They thought they were living well just because they felt comfortable with the way society was telling actually say that I’m a feminist because of her, though I’m not that extreme, at least I thought I wasn’t. p. 8 p. 3 them to live.

T

T

The Facebook Effect by Luis F Sumoza

U.K. Challenge comes to Merida

T

F

riday 19th June saw U.K. Challenge come to Merida; and, while The Universidad de los Andes may not have managed to retain its 2008 title, the day was enjoyed by all at the faculty. The competition, organised by the British Council, saw teams from seven Venezuelan universities compete to be crowned the 2009 champions;

p. 5

p. 8 Oasis: Dig Out Your Soul One thing that really made me want to listen to this record was that the album was recorded entirely in Abbey Road p. 4 Studios in London.

Beyond Words

p. 5

he Facebook complicated than it sounds. phenomenon is, in p. 6 my opinion, a really interesting thing to study. We are talking about a huge movement on the World Wide Web, which is growing bigger everyday; p. 5 developed and sustained not by the creator but by the users. It is a self stimulating system, and, let me tell you, it’s far less

LA VÉRITÉ INCONCEVABLE

Book Review: Pin Pan Pun

Est-ce que pour vous, il est facile de savoir quand il faut jeter et quand il faut recycler ? Que feriez-vous si vous voyiez quelqu’un jeter un papier dans la rue ? Est-il important de commencer à créer une conscience écologique ou est-il trop tard ? Ce n’est pas impossible, il y a une solution même si le temps passe vite. p. 7

his book by Alejandro Rebolledo is based on the young writer’s own experiences in our country’s capital in 1998, where he worked as a DJ by night and a journalist by day. p. 9

T

2 Issue 3 | Times 32

A quick note from the Editor

W

ell, here it finally is, the third issue of Times 32. I am proud to present some truly magnificent pieces of work by some of the ULA´s most creative and hardworking students, including

Times 32´s first French article. This issue has everything from poems and stories to reviews and common interest articles: so I hope you find something that you like. The edition’s two main feature articles focus on the internet, and how it has revolutionised our lives; something that I am sure every reader can relate to. So, if you want to learn about the history behind Facebook, or the latest way

Lula Boardman to access your music online, please read on! If you haven’t been listening to much music lately, or you’ve simply been studying too hard to be able to read for fun, then why not read the paper’s reviews? You might just find some inspiration to pick up a CD or a book. Or, if all you want is a chance to escape the real world for a few minutes, then take a look at the stories on offer this issue. I´d just like to finish this by saying a huge thank you to all who contributed to this edition of Times 32. Thanks for all your hard work!

Graphic Design: Kervin Vivas

[email protected]

Coordinated by Teadira Pérez

Special thanks to:

Prof. Alfredo Angulo Decano Facultad de Humanidades y Educación

Prof. Olga muñoz Directora Escuela de Idiomas Modernos

Prof. Roberto Chacón Consejo de Publicaciones Facultad de Humanidades y Educación

Issue 3 | Times 32 3

BEYOND WORDS By Ariana Pernía, Natasha López & Osmer Contreras This story is dedicated to memory of Maria Yaneth Guillen. A great human being, a wonderful teacher and the sweetest person we ever met. By Ariana Pernía, Natasha López & Osmer Contreras

O

nce upon a time there was a cold and quiet city, where a little girl named Camila lived. She was seven year-old and she was very special, because she was a little deaf. She had her own world where she had many friends and where she dreamed of having a lot of pets.

never find a reason to do so. One rainy day Max was taking Camila to school, as always, when they bumped into Andrea, with her dog Sam, on the bridge. Camila wanted to touch Sam but Max said, “Camila!! Do not touch that dog.”

Camila lived with her father, a twenty-eight year-old man, whose name was Max. He worked as a manager in a restaurant and was a very serious person. Max was committed to his job and, for this reason, he never had enough time to spend with Camila. Camila and Max lived in a small house in the downtown area of the city. When Max took Camila to school “Oh..! don´t not worry! He´s a they crossed the bridge that ran nice dog,” said Andrea. through_the_city centre. “Well, that´s good to know. By the way, I´m Max,” said Max. Every day, when Max and Camila “Nice to meet you, I´m Andrea, crossed the bridge, they always and the little girl is…?” saw a young lady who came from “Oh..! She is Camila, my the opposite direction. This was daughter.” Said Max. Andrea, a young lady who came from a small town near the city to When Andrea saw Camila she study Veterinary Medicine. She immediately felt something for her, was an outgoing person who smiled but she did not know what it was. constantly. She lived with her pets: Camila was playing with Sam Sam the dog and Kitty the cat. and she felt really relaxed with him. They were forging a special Andrea noticed Max and Camila bond that no words could describe. as well, but she never talked to It was obvious, in some unspoken them. She wanted to, but she could

somewhere else. Camila asked him why, but Sam told Then Max suddenly said, “Well, him that she excuse us. But we need to leave must not ask now because we are late.” him because he “Oh, I hope to see you tomorrow,” had his own reasons. said Andrea. “Bye,Bye.” Andrea and Máx did not notice that Camila and Sam had moved away from them. When Andrea and Max realized that they were no longer there they felt desperate and hurried to look for them. way, that the two could understand each other.

Suddenly, Max felt a strange feeling while he was looking for Camila and Sam. He began to think back over their time together, and he realized that, in spite of adoring his daughter, he never gave her enough affection. He was always indifferent to her and they never spent enough time together. They continued seeing each other and meeting every day. Camila had found a friend in Sam. She realized that, at last, she had a real friend and she started to leave behind her imaginary world. One day it was Camila’s birthday and Max and Andrea agreed to celebrate it together. They met in a park in the city and Andrea decided to give Kitty to Camila as a present. When they were in the park Sam asked Camila, in their special language, if they could play

Finally they found Camila and Sam on a path near to the park. For Max it was like seeing his daughter re-born. Camila was happy when she realized what Sam´s intention had been. She understood that Sam took her far away from the park so that her father would feel what it would be like to be without his daughter. Camila felt very happy, although she could not hear, she realized that she had true friends and the love and affection of her father.

4 Issue 3 | Times 32

Oasis: Dig Out Your Soul by Daniel Arevalo. “Oh yes! Oasis are officially back and in rocking form.” These were the exact words that Noel Gallagher used in a BBC Radio 1 interview, announcing the release of the seventh Oasis album, “Dig out Your Soul”, on the sixth of October. The album is full of fascinating and absorbing lyrics and has a raw sound, reminiscent, at times, of Blues and Rock n Roll from the 1960s. One thing that really made me want to listen to this record was that the album was recorded entirely in Abbey Road Studios in London. I’m sure the history of the place has some sort of magical effect on the artists that record there. Since The Beatles recorded there in the 1960s hundreds of bands have wanted to make their albums there, including Oasis, who are huge fans of the legendary band from Liverpool. The last time that Oasis recorded at Abbey Road was when they made Be here now, which, in my personal opinion, is was one of the greatest albums of the 90s. This record was officially labeled one of the signature albums of the Britpop movement and, while opinions may vary as to its quality, it has sold over

12 million copies around the world. Now however, let’s concentrate on Dig Out your soul. Feeling it necessary to add something new to the mix for this project,

with Oasis, very evident. The album consists of eleven tracks, six of them written by Noel Gallagher and three by his brother Liam, with Gem Archer and Andy Bell

Noel Gallagher brought David Sardy on board to help produce the album. The idea was to strip back the sound, using just one guitar at a time, so that the tracks would have the rawest sound possible. The influence of the Beatles and other Rock and Roll bands from the 1960s is, as ever

writing the remaining two. When Oasis got to Abbey Road to begin recording they practically had all the songs already because they had written too many for their previous album, Don’t believe the truth. However, these songs were developed in the studio as the new album was

being recorded, as new ideas kept coming up all the time. The first single, The Shock of the Lightning, is a song that makes you feel as if you were on rollercoaster. It gets faster and faster all the time and is very energetic. This speed builds up through the first four tracks (Bag It Up, The Turning, Waiting for the Rapture and The Shock of the Lightning) until we arrive at the fifth song, Liam´s ballard, I’m Outta Time. It is this track that is to be the second single off the album, after The Shock of the Lightning, and will be released on the 1st of December. Lyrically, the word ´light´ pops up in several songs. I personally believe that the album has a kind of message about hope and salvation; and maybe even some religious connotations. However, Noel Gallagher has said that he just writes songs and that he doesn’t understand why the album has been deemed to have such a deep meaning. Finally, I just want to tell all lovers of proper and good music that you should take a look at Dig Out Your Soul. It is, what can always be expected of an Oasis album, a classic record.

Issue 3 | Times 32 5

U.K. Challenge comes to Merida Friday 19th June saw U.K. Challenge come to Merida; and, while The Universidad de los Andes may not have managed to retain its 2008 title, the day was enjoyed by all at the faculty. The competition, organised by the British Council, saw teams from seven Venezuelan universities compete to be crowned the 2009 champions; a title which, after three rounds and a tense final against The Universidad del Oriente, finally went to the challengers from The Universidad de Carabobo.

Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador from Caracas and Maracay.

Other Universities that took part were: The Universidad Nacional Experimental Francisco de Miranda, The Universidad Nacional Experimental Simón Rodríguez, Universidad de Carabobo, The Universidad Metropolitana and The

The seven teams and their supporters, as well as representatives form the British Council and the ULA all crowded into room 21 in building B, ready for the completion’s afternoon start. After an initial pub quiz round, which saw Coro win

by Lula Boardman

The competition was fast paced and held team members and spectators alike on the edge of their seats, with questions on all things British - from food and popular culture to geography and history. Allan González, who competed for the ULA, told Times 32, “It was a very enjoyable day; the only thing that wasn’t so good was that we didn’t win.”

grips with British politics and idioms, the seven universities fought it out for places in the semi-final. All teams performed admirably and it was evident that they had all worked hard and had really learned their stuff, as it often came down to a the tie breaker to take split second between who rang up a guaranteed place first, with several draws. in the semi final, the In the end it was the teams teams went face to face, from the ULPEL and Simón with the team quickest Rodriguez in Caracas and The to ring their bell getting Universidad Del Oriente that to answer the question. went through to join Coro in the semi-finals. From naming Spice Girls and U.K. tourist The success of UK Challenge attractions to getting to reflects the hard work of all

the British Council English Language Assistants and the teams that they helped to prepare over the course of the past semestre. The preparation sessions were varied and fun and included everything, from political quizzes and reading British newspaper articles to watching films and soap operas from the U.K., in oder to get to grips with those tricky regional accents. It was only U.K. Challenge’s second year and the first time it had been held in Merida, the 2008 championship having been held in Caracas.

6 Issue 3 | Times 32

The Facebook Effect by Luis F Sumoza

T

contacts and all the subscriptions that I have to comedy series, movies, books, political movements and bands.

he Facebook phenomenon is, in my opinion, a really interesting thing to study. We are talking about a huge movement on the World Wide Web, which is growing bigger everyday; developed and sustained not by the creator but by the users. It is a self stimulating system, and, let me tell you, it’s far less complicated than it sounds. I’m talking about an exceptionally creative business design, based on a very simple idea. But what is this idea? Well, let´s take it from the point of view of the founder; Mark Zuckerberg. This student from Harvard University had a goal: to create a communications website for his college community.

instead to use those simple features that people like to see, and enable the user to use them easily. This is made possible through a simple web design.

I think is important to establish that this whole philosophy of “simple web design” has a lot to do with the success of a certain search engine we all know, called Google. However, that is another story. The Internet has become a globally used system, completely revolutionizing the way we communicate and go about getting information. For example, it is now common to communicate virtually with, the incredibly useful, IM (instant In general terms Facebook doesn’t messenger). The problem with IM really boast any new features. I is, however, that all the users have mean, we have seen this stuff to be online at the same in order before, maybe not all together on to communicate and you also have one site, but we’ve definitely seen to have a person’s email address in it. This just goes to show what order to get in contact with them. a genius the creator is. The idea In this way, it’s very similar to behind Facebook is not to create using the phone. some new form of technology, but He divided it into several simple sections: college activities, important news about the campus and social groups. Arguably however, Facebook´s most important feature is the opportunity to create some kind of personal “space”, where you can share personal information about yourself; like your hobbies and your taste in music and film, with other users.

It all sounds pretty good, but behind the scenes there are a couple of big problems. Mark Zuckerberg has had several lawsuits filed against him for stolen information and violation of privacy. To protect themselves Facebook made a smart move and established a partnership with the big internet giant, Google. In other words Google bought Facebook. Therefore if you want Facebook gives you the ability to to mess with facebook, you have to interact with people not only with face Google´s army of lawyers. words, but with images, as well as the chance to share your common This alliance has helped Facebook interests without having to be a lot, as what could be better for online at the same time. your internet business than to be recommended by the most used In addition to this, the creator search engine in the world? It of this university web network also helped Facebook compete with created another tool, whereby the Myspace. site automatically recommends that people get in touch with people with Facebook relies, not only on the whom they have several friends in people wearing expensive suits in common. In my opinion, this is one California, but on the general user, of Facebooks best features. It helps which means every one of us. We you get in touch with people who are all responsible for the world you haven’t seen for many years, we want to see and that includes like people you went to school with, the virtual world, the internet and or distant relatives. even Facebook. Facebook also has many other uses. It´s a great way, for example, to advertise different events, like parties and concerts. This feature of the web site keeps me well informed about new things: new pictures, people’s new relationships and important news about my

Issue 3 | Times 32 7

LA VÉRITÉ INCONCEVABLE by Astrid Vivas Qu’est-ce que vous faites pour aider à préserver l’atmosphère de Mérida ? Est-ce que pour vous, il est facile de savoir quand il faut jeter et quand il faut recycler ? Que feriezvous si vous voyiez quelqu’un jeter un papier dans la rue ? Est-il important de commencer à créer une conscience écologique ou est-il trop tard ? Ce n’est pas impossible, il y a une solution même si le temps passe vite. ASTRID VIVAS Depuis que nous sommes petits nos pères nous enseignent que nous devons jeter les ordures, mais le problème est-il seulement de jeter

T

ou de savoir comment recycler ? Personne ne naît en sachant ce qui est bon ou mauvais, cela nous l’acquérissons tout au long de la vie. Préserver notre atmosphère, c’est une réalité que nous devons mettre en œuvre le plus rapidement possible. Dans notre pays, les vénézuéliens n’ont pas encore créé une véritable conscience écologique pour préserver notre planète. Comme de bons citoyens, nous devons préserver la planète pour les nouvelles générations et la meilleure manière est en sachant comment le faire. À Mérida, très peu de personnes recyclent, le reste ne sait pas comment le faire, c’est pourquoi, il est important de savoir

quoi faire avec tous nos déchets. Chacun peut donner sa contribution, comment ? En enseignant à recycler les ordures. Ils séparent les composants des ordures, organiques et non-organiques, la pollution de l’environnement, et le plus important la prise de conscience. Pourquoi est-il important de veiller sur notre environnement ? Parce que c’est un monde où il y a beaucoup de gens. Les signes avoir une bonne qualité de l’air pure sont l’effet de serre, le réchauffement de la planète, la pluie acide, la fonte des glaces, la crise de l’eau, la réaction de la nature, la destruction de la biodiversité, la consommation déséquilibrée, la pollution de l’air

et l’avancée des déserts. Qu’est-ce que vous avez fait devant cette situation ? Réfléchissez!! Nous contribuons à préserver notre planète pour nous et nos futures générations, en créant des campagnes de conscience écologique et ainsi nous pourrons avoir un monde meilleur pendant quelques années.

Revolutionary Radio: dare to share your musical tastes.

echnology has reached such new levels that the way we listen to music, and get to know bands and singers, is totally different from the way it was a few years ago. The internet has been highly influential in this process and nowadays it is more common to get music online, than to buy records in a music store. Along with the Internet came audio streaming and online radio; and with this a revolutionary new website, Last.fm, was born. This website has completely changed the way in which we can listen to music online. It was created in an attempt to merge internet communities, web blogs, social networking websites, and internet

forums with radio broadcasting on the Internet. It succeeded. Last.fm is a music service that offers different and customized radio channels. This means that the station will only play you music that it thinks you like, or thinks you may like, and will do so without interruptions or advertisements. The question is, how is this possible? Last.fm processes the information given by all the music storage programs that the user has on their computer; such as music libraries,

playlists, last played songs, most played and downloaded songs, and so on. Through a complex algorithm, last.fm deduces the users musical tastes by looking at the combination of music and artists in the user’s music network. Therefore, when you play a radio station on last.fm, you just select a band, record, or genre etc., and the radio will play songs which are similar to the music it knows you like already. The website also provides information about bands and singers. You can

watch your favorite music videos; find photos of any band or singer, read artist and album reviews and check tour dates. Last.fm is a fresh and understandable system with a lot of contemporary music information to hand. As a social networking website it allows users to contact other users, so you can be aware of the music your friends are, and have been, listening to. Last.fm has plenty of features that make it an excellent option for listening and sharing music for free, without breaking the law. It also lets you keep up to date with developments in musical taste all over the world; or at least with that of the website’s 21 million active users.

8 Issue 3 | Times 32

The Real Beginning of Everything By Montilla, Milena, Salima, Indira, Romero & Leonardo into the lives of men. These aliens were going to try and show man a very different way of life. By changing the way man viewed the phenomenons that occurred in the world, like diseases, murders, accidents and natural disasters, they hoped to make them understand that the real origin of the people’s misfortune came from the absence of spiritual harmony.

T

here was once a time when the human race was dominated by power, the most selfish of desires. I am not actually referring to the times we live in now, although you might think I am. The case is, as I said, that people only wanted to feed their darkest desires. They didn’t care about anything but themselves. It was total hell on earth. The worst thing was that people didn’t realize the mess they were causing. They thought they were living well just because they felt comfortable with the way society was telling them to live. However, there were some

other beings watching over Earth, and for a long time they had been living undercover among the human race. These beings were planning to exterminate the entire human race so that they could extract all the planet’s power and energy for themselves. The way the aliens were planning to bring about the end of the human race was more incredible than anyone could have ever imagined. Obviously, taking into account that these were highly intelligent beings, it was never going to be a predictable plan. We were going to be the main characters in our own downfall. Man’s fate was about to be radically changed forever, and its faith tested. At the same time as this was going on, a different group of aliens was also about to come

And what did this amazing plan consist of? It was to create biological and nuclear weapons that would cause disasters which people would not be able to cope with. The bad aliens would then rise to power by offering a solution. In this way, they would look like heroes offering “the antidote for the disease.” The plan was settled and the clones started to work in scientific laboratories using advanced technology and their own knowledge. They were commanded by the clones that were working higher up in the government. In less than three months, the weapons were ready.

The bad aliens made clones of the people that they considered to be trustworthy. The people they chose for this were from Russia, a country that the aliens had been watching closely for some time. These clones had aliens inside them and they slowly put their plans into motion. Things then started going badly for the humans. New They decided that they should types of disease, which human talk to Russia´s political beings had never seen before, leaders in order to get the started to appear. The viruses Russian people to work for were so sophisticated that them, and hoped that they people would die a few hours wouldn’t realize what was after they caught them. There really going on until it was too wasn’t even time to put them late. in quarantine following infection. No one will believe how easy it was for the aliens to take In addition to this, Russia power. It wasn’t even necessary started to fight with other to drug the political leaders or world powers for more energy take control of their minds. resources so that they could All they did was suggest a plan build more weapons. They under which the government used nuclear weapons to would become more powerful attack other countries. Man without the people noticing. was destroying everything on the planet just to get power.

The most powerful men and the most important countries were all fighting each other, some only to protect themselves and to preserve their security, and others to gain more power. Meanwhile, people were dying from diseases every second and fighting for the limited number of hospital beds, even though everybody knew that there wasn’t an antidote. The hospitals were full of ill people waiting for a cure and corpses waiting to be buried with dignity. It was terribly sad. Finally, some hope came. The good and spiritual aliens came to earth to show people that everything was not lost. If they had just had faith and believed in spirituality

Issue 3 | Times 32 9

more, this would never have happened. They wanted the people to know that they still could save themselves, and that they still could change their minds and their spirits. When the people started to change and the bad aliens noticed that they were losing they decided to give up immediately. They recognized the power of these aliens, and they also knew that the spiritual aliens would be able to beat them without weapons. When the bad aliens left the planet, the spiritual ones explained to the people the importance of changing their minds and their hearts so that they could live in paradise, where real love and virtue

would rule. The human race certainly didn’t change overnight, that wouldn’t have been very realistic. They did however understand what they had to do in order to live in paradise, and that the first step would be to reform the

main religious teachings. They rejoiced in their new found happiness and respect for each other .

A book Review: Pin Pan Pun by María Merecedes Flores

This book by Alejandro Rebolledo is based on the young writer’s own experiences in our country’s capital in 1998, where he worked as a DJ by night and a journalist by day. In Pan Pan Pun the author gives us a brutal account of the cruel reality of

everyday life in Caracas. The novel deals with drugs, crime, broken dreams, philosophy, social problems and Venezuelan culture and identity. All of these elements are mixed up in a whirl of characters and storylines. It is, essentially, one story told by many people: Luis, Ana Patricia, Laudvan, Juan Power, El Tufo, Caimán and Yetzibel. We meet them at the end of the 1990s, at a time when they are all, in their own ways, being made to make important decisions regarding their lives and destinies. Luis is worried about the

money that he doesn’t have. Ana Patricia wants to travel and see the world. Juan Power just wants to leave the city. El Tufo wants a motorcycle. Yetzibel wants to find her true love and Laudvan wants to sell his paintings and become famous. However, when Ana Patricia is kidnapped, the event acts as a trigger, forcing the characters to confront their destinies. The four days in which this story takes place are days in which these people see their lives change forever. The kidnapping affects everyone in one way or another. These characters, who have all just been hedonistically roaming around Caracas, in

pursuit of happiness, suddenly find themselves trapped with nowhere to go. The raw reality of life in our country’s capital is boldly shown to us. This novel shows us that all kinds of people blindly follow the same path without realising where they are going. Set just before the turn of the millennium this novel is a nihilist vision of our reality, a reality that not everybody wants to see or to know. Pin Pan Pun is a novel that every Venezuelan should read.

10 Issue 3 | Times 32

Frogs and firefliesda

O

ne day, I was sitting on the grass wondering about general things. Tired of the burning sun, I started to stroll across the grass to find a little place amongst the trees where I could lay down and rest. Finally, after strolling and strolling, I found a gentle tree that offered me its shade. I made myself comfortable, so comfortable that I fell asleep without noticing. I woke up, surprised that it was late. I knew my family were waiting for me, I had never been late for dinner before but I didn’t care. I said to myself, “if I were late, nothing would happen”. I decided to take a short walk into the nearby forest. In the forest I heard the magical sounds that only beautiful nature can show you. Suddenly, three croaks

by Lula Boardman

rang in my ears. I looked down and saw three frogs, each bigger than the one before. They croaked again, in a mystical way, like they were casting a spell on me. Then they stopped croaking and jumped into a little pond with many leaves floating on the surface. I kept walking, looking at the sky where the fireflies were dancing with the stars, wooing them, drawing circles and funny shapes. I was so immersed in those beautiful

candles and lights in the sky that I only came round when a female shape was standing in front of me, not as short as a dwarf, not as tall as a human. White skin, rays of sunlight around her face, two warm seas from which she was staring at me. “Ling” was the only word she pronounced, “P-P-Peter” I stuttered. At first I was petrified but then a pleasant wave of floral scent

came to my nose, relaxing me, taking me to a higher level of consciousness where the only thing I could think of or hear was the four letters that she had pronounced. Without realising what I was doing, I was getting closer and closer to her lips, in secret, I had desired them since the first moment that my eyes had made contact with that mysterious entity. I abruptly started to shake; horrible croaking sounds were calling me, telling me that I must go back. Everything went black for a second. I recovered my sight again, but I could barely see the leaves of the tree, once again above me. Disappointed, I worked out that everything had just been a dream, I heard the croaking start again and my pocket shook. I got out my mobile, it was my mum reminding me that I had to be on time for dinner.

Issue 3 | Times 32 11

English Poems

By Guillermo Stoll

Mother, suffering is not if not through me. Time has not parted from our side. My homage to dignity waits silently but anxiously; your entitlement to emancipation. The miracle lies in your hands, which now enact the role of ever-clenched fists. Do not imbibe from the cataract of sightlessness; Overcome that unwholesome figment. I am a two-leaf clover, you see. And the imminent misery is uncalled for.

In this respect, I do not believe in my culpability. Is guilt an innocuous molecule to blindly burden with? I was merely the means. Moreover, the day Helios himself shamefully agonizes, for he can no longer bestow his glowing warmth upon us, he, too, will see me rip the threads that link his crimson incandescence to the background blue.

‘Tis not the first time A bush in the name of God speaks But this time, dear. Oh time! Please save us: Disgrace so odd streaks. A long time ago The flames burnt but did not consume, But no flame’s e’er born crime The roots rotten now guilt assumes.

12 Issue 3 | Times 32

Have you been to England before?

Want to write for the next issue? We are looking for articles on: • Current affairs • Personal experiences – opinion • Sport • Art and Entertainment • Creative writing • Book – film reviews E-mail us your articles

[email protected] The online version of Times 32 is available at: http://times32.wordpress.com