A Poem by Bill

Bill is a man that lives on the colony grounds, and was mentioned in the post “Bill’s House.” He has written several books of poetry in his old age, and I decided to post this poem because I feel it embodies the essence of Costa Rica. Reprinted with permission.

PEACE AND TRANQUILITY

by William B. Brown

The stars now die in the morning sky / And lose their glimmer one by one / Colors spring from clouds that ring / The mountain peaks at dawn / The morning light turns back the night / And showers beauty on this tropic place

The church bells ring, their matins sing / Of tranquil peace and simple rustic grace / A rooster crows, by instinct knows / He will awaken all his brothers / A forest bird, by distance blurred / Sings in chorus with countless others / Soaring butterflies dazzle the morning skies / Above this leafy kingdom which they own / Blossoms fair and blossoms rare / Their fragrance through the forest blown / Rich in story they crown with glory / And bring a splendor to this tropic day

The village wakes, its dreams it shapes / And lives its peaceful hopes away / The sun’s rays lace, in this wooded place / The delicate beauty of the giant trees / Trees that shade with green cascade / And mix their coolness with the mid-day breeze

But this peace will soon unleash / The dreaded power of a tropic storm / The mists now rise to shroud the skies / In awesome black the towering clouds take form / The distant flash of lightning’s lash / Is followed by the muted roll of thunder / The storm now nears, our world soon hears / The dreadful drumming of this tropic wonder / The torrent blast surges past / And leaves in calm this tranquil place

The church bells ring, their vespers bring / That subtle somnolence of the dark’s embrace / From the forest wall the night birds call / And set the time for drowsy dreaming / The evening seeks the mountain peaks / And flaunts its beauty with color streaming / The sun’s last ray will close the day / In peace and tranquility

About Bill: William B. Brown was born in 1912. He attended Yale University to study Psychology. After running a successful printing business, he turned his attention to the needs of Latin America, where he fought for social justice, democracy and human rights. He became one of the founders of WOLA, the Washington Office of Latin America. His pursuits ultimately led him to a number-three place on a ten-man death list throughout the countries of Guatemala, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and San Salvador for being a nuisance to dictators. His first collection of poems was published in 1985. He currently lives in Costa Rica.

About the photograph: This photograph was taken near La Paz Waterfall.