The Americas
Leaving Panama City on the road to the airport The Pacific slowly rolls down its waves like a window The sun went away beyond the horizon leaving the sky to the night The pelicans come to roost on the rocks below and life looks like a postcard The shiny skyline towers mirror their vanity in […]
Dante’s Inferno had nine circles from mild to worse At the bottom of the haughty towers starts the Inferno But instead of going deeper down it goes up The circles eight and nine of fraud and treachery sit at the top At the eighth, the simoniacs together with the counselors of fraud are spit roasted […]
Paper money and iron towers cast their foreboding shadows on the city At the very feet of the giants, people work and slave for the money-masters After a long day’s work they wait for the bus back to the boxes they call home Kept out of sight, below the shiny windows that only reflect the […]
The fortresses of faith line the Lima avenues, standing to attention Lest the older gods would make a comeback from the Andean peaks The plunderers built cathedrals to seek indulgence for their crimes Monuments of pious vanity, standing beacons of the old Eldorado Now the attraction for tourist crowds and a perch for the urban […]
Things happen at the most remote places of the world Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion the Paraguay cathedral and bus company Known locally as the NSA in this fascinating landlocked but water-bound country A well known refuge for post-war exiles from the dark side of the Reich Huge airstrips in the middle of the Gran […]
Cool cars and cool ice creams just one character away The Italian touch came to Lima with its love for ice-creams A bakery sits like a shady cave in the sun-burnt streets Quiet days in the Americas a between the Andes and the Pacific Photo Hugh Ardoin The Americas Gallery Hits: 9
The D’Onofrio cyclists peddle the ice cream on Lima Streets Futuristic trikes in bright yellow livery to enhance temptation A strong brand signature started by Italian immigrants Now grown to nationwide size it provides work for the poor A minimum equipment and a minimum salary Away from the posh ice cream parlors Photo Hugh Ardoin […]
In the dim magenta morning Panama streets A red haired girl in a fuchsia top strolls along Big names on small shops warn us that the sky is not the limit Trade is the main business in every harbor and this one is special At the junction of the two oceans and the two Americas […]
In the streets around the cathedral where the urubu roost The bright midday sun crushes the passerby regardless of their age The walls are Red and white like the Peruvian flag A reminder of the bloodshed of the post-Colombian history The conquistadors are gone and the gringo rule took their seat But the Inca people […]
Murals on a yellow warehouse As the morning sun chases the Pacific fogs Bright colors fill the streets of Lima A talented artist offered portraits to the wall And to the passerby with open eyes Photo Hugh Ardoin The Americas Gallery Hits: 22