El Cu-Cu de los Sueños

I sat outside at the end of my time exploring Monte Alban, unsure of what to do before the bus left, there was still another hour to wait. A man came up to me and started to talk. I was tired, not in the mood for conversation in my struggling Spanish. He said his name was Juan Carlos.

He worked at Monte Alban and knew so much about the area. He pointed out a distant ruin and asked me if I wanted to walk there. We started to walk that way when the bus driver came up and said we could leave early, as we were the only passengers. On the bus, Juan Carlos showed me a book he had written about his place and people, the Mixtecs. It was titled, Cuyotepeji.

I opened it to see an eagle, then a waterfall, and felt a strong feeling, a recognition. I asked if I could buy the book. He said he wanted to sign it. The bus was stuck in traffic so we got off and started walking until we came to the Basilica de la Soledad. We sat outside and ate zanahoria helado (carrot ice cream), and he wrote this, in the front of the book...

Desde un lugar, a una hora cualquiera, "el cu-cu de los suenos" va hiland historias. Para Ana. Esperando lo disfrutes y compartas. El autor, Juan Carlos Peralta.

He told me what he wrote translates as, "At any time, at any hour, the voice of your dreams is telling your story." He explained that he wrote it not just as the voice of your dreams, but as "El Cu-Cu," like a cuckoo clock. A sound that comes suddenly, that wakes you up. He explained that "The voice of your dreams," means visions. Those certain dreams that, whether awake or asleep, stir something deep inside that makes you take notice.

Your visions are telling your story.

I felt a shock wave move through me. I'd only just met Juan Carlos, how could he know? Visions were what brought me here. The vision of riding the city bus, seeing Juquila out the window. The vision of the deer on the bridge and at the BIxby. It was taking notice and following those visions that was creating my story. And now I tell that story here.

As we parted, he said, "Dios es la presencia de la ausencia." God is the presence of absence. Meaning, faith.