WEEK END ENGAGEMENT TOPICS: WEEK 174/ Coffee and Poetry

Greetings from Caracas, friends of Week End Experiences. I really like gardens, usually, there are places that make me feel good, there are nice places. But unfortunately I don’t have a garden at home. I live in an apartment and we do not have a garden here. Long time ago, my mother had a nice garden on the balcony, but the balcony was eliminated to enlarge the dining room and the garden disappeared over time. I loved that garden, it was small but beautiful, there were pots with different plants, flowers, ferns. I really love ferns. It was a sad situation. Gardens always beautify spaces. Now there are only a few empty pots left. A very sad thing. So, I will not talk about gardens. I will talk about a Coffee shop moment:

Well, this weekend I will not have a coffee time on my agenda. So, I will write about a coffee time that I really enjoyed. I am a poet and since I was very young I have read my poems publicly. I usually don't do it alone. I am invited to events where I read with other people. Sometimes I like to organize poetry readings to read with my friends. Being a writer must be a lonely trade, you know. So, a poetry reading is a good excuse to meet your friends and share your poems with others.

Caracas, my city, is a very culturally active city, there are often literary events. There are some spaces dedicated to culture, one of my favorites places is The Shes Art Center. In this cultural complex there are several art galleries, a virtual reality center, a design store and a bookstore, Kalathos Bookstore. Kalathos Bookstore has become a warm meeting place for Caracas writers because it has very special characteristics.

In addition to selling books, this bookstore has a coffee area, comfortable sofas for reading and chatting and a nice garden, where there are some tables to sit and drink coffee or tea and eat a tasty cake. There is no similar place at Caracas. That's the reason I have organized several poetry recitals there. I will write about the last poetry reading I organized there with some friends. It was before pandemia. It was a special reading, I will tell you why.

That year my father died. I was writing a poetry book about my home, about my family, my parents, my sisters, the cats in our home: “Rituals of the home”. When one of your parents dies you have a very deep feeling. So, I invited some friends to participate in a poetry reading: Edgar Vidaurre, Ana María Hurtado, Belkys Arredondo y Gema Matías. I read some of the poems from "Rituals of the home", as a tribute to my father who had died.

That day, many friends joined us. Writers, poets and my friends from the book club in my neighborhood were there and we enjoyed a tasty coffee and some sweet pastries together. They are not writers but they like reading. In spite of my pain, it was very special to feel so much love that day. It was a wonderful coffee time with poetry and friends. It was one of those unforgettable moments in life.

I hope you enjoyed my special moment having coffee with friends. See you next time.