Officially, spring has arrived. In Sinaloa, either by the sea or on top of a hill, many people went to beaches or hills to receive the station. With their arms raised to the sky, in which someone versed performs a ritual to eliminate the negative energies that are accumulating, the people prepared to stay clean with renewed energy.
At other points, in kindergartens and primary schools, spring was greeted with parades in which flowers, birds and bees were seen as well as children in suits and ties, their hair gelled without moving a hair and with the well-marked parting, the serious gesture very much in the role of the Benemérito de las Américas. Seeing those parades, came the memory of the spring of the pre-digitals (who were born before the internet was available to the common population) that was invariably accompanied by a festival in style. Since the day before, whoever was in front of the group distributed the roles: who was going to recite, who was going to dance and who was going to sing the “little swallow, little swallow, where did you just come from, I come from afar, I come from afar, from the other side of the sea, I come to look for the spring…” song that was repeated every year. Once the papers were distributed in the pompously named Spring Festival, the entrance and exit to the school became the arena in which those who came for the creature with unhealthy curiosity asked “and what is yours going to do?” go out”, those whose blessing would be in charge of being a soloist in the declamation, song or dance said it with supreme pride “and he/she is going to go out alone”.
But all presumption fell short before that person who, savoring each word, slowly pronounced: “Mine is going to be Benito Juárez”, knowing that this was a special distinction, reserved for the most dedicated child, and that his words would be followed by a response “Aaah!” followed by silence or a few “good”. Then came the preparations to assemble the outfits and finally! The expected day, which turned into a tragicomedy with laughter and tears on stage, either because the declamation was forgotten, or because stage fright seized the little bee that remained static, or because an unexpected security invaded the tree that instead from staying still he began to dance, or because the singer changed the lyrics and even the tune, but did not remain silent. Failures in the wardrobe were a risk that put the teachers on edge. There was no shortage of those who, in order for their child to stand out, or due to lack of reading comprehension, ignored the instructions and at the mere hour their child stood out from the rest of the group, and not always in the best way, causing the protagonist to cry, knowing that the mocking comments would accompany him forever. In the end, whether it was laughter or tears, the applause rewarded weeks of rehearsals. Spring had returned.
Thanks for reading these lines. Comments and so on please at [email protected] and on Twitter at @MarisaPineda Have a week of renewed energy.
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