poem by Mario de Andrade (San Paolo 1893-1945) Poet, novelist, essayist and
musicologist.
One of the founders of Brazilian modernism.
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MY SOUL HAS A HAT
I counted my years and realized that I have less time to live by, than I have
lived so far.
I feel like a child who won a pack of candies: at first he ate them with
pleasure but when he realized that there was little left, he began to taste
them intensely.
I have no time for endless meetings where the statutes, rules, procedures and
internal regulations are discussed, knowing that nothing will be done.
I no longer have the patience to stand absurd people who, despite their
chronological age, have not grown up.
My time is too short: I want the essence, my spirit is in a hurry. I do not
have much candy in the package anymore.
I want to live next to humans, very realistic people who know how to laugh at
their mistakes and who are not inflated by their own triumphs and who take
responsibility for their actions. In this way, human dignity is defended and we
live in truth and honesty.
It is the essentials that make life useful.
I want to surround myself with people who know how to touch the hearts of those
whom hard strokes of life have learned to grow with sweet touches of the soul.
maturity can give.
I do not intend to waste any of the remaining desserts. I am sure they will be
exquisite, much more than those eaten so far.
My goal is to reach the end satisfied and at peace with my loved ones and my
conscience.
We have two lives and the second begins when you realize you only have one.