Writing as survival in Guyana

 Saturday afternoon and the rain is drizzling after a few weeks of no rain. I laugh as I get ready to fulfill the sankalp to go into the Botanical Gardens .  The book club is supposed to come out, fresh air, handle some books and talk face to face. 

But I know that it is not reading alone as I feel I need to write something but something other than the things I wrote about and just write anything.  

People are sheltering in the Bandstand and in the Mausoleum - Burnham's grave. Some people are sitting around with umbrellas. 

The fountain is there . It looks like no water has moved for some time. I take pictures of the reflection in the water. 

Come home and realise that there was a plastic spoon in the fountain. And there seems to be a reflection of the plastic spoon also in the water.

I could write about the plastic spoon in the fountain which  was not visible in the drizzles when I was taking the picture and about the litter decorating the Botanical Gardens even though there are empty bins around.  

Rain eases up, people come. We talk. And try not to talk about things like the receipt for to use the toilet even though the toilets are not working properly - only one toilet - or that there are probably fancy toilets in the hotels and so but there are not going to be any nice toilets in spaces where people come to lime and litter - even if you have to pay.

A man sends me a video and hopes that I would write a post about it. I say no no.. you write it, not me again. He writes the post.

A woman says that there is so much she wants to say and to get out, and I explain that is why I write.. sometimes in the journal where no one can see, sometimes on the blog where I could ramble and then sometimes as a letter to the editor where I hope that at least the editor will think it is worth writing.

Even if no one reads. Or they might read and like you more;  or as the man who made the post he thought I would write - 'dislike me more'

Writing as survival in the place to get things out. But also to try to put words down as some kind of vision of what could be and so in a way not only getting things out but 'writing into being' other things.

Like imagining the Botanical Gardens with clean fountain with lots of water spraying and toilets which are like the toilets in the fancy hotels (hopefully!). 

And that it is good to write about absolutely nothing because it is a part of survival in Guyana.