May 30, Sunday afternoon at Carnaval -- Reading Miguel Robles

At the Carnaval festival in the Mission District
Selling his hand-crafted precious-stone jewelry and books. On the table -- a book of poetry he wrote in Spanish called At 24th and Mission: Local Poetry with a Global Essence (the green book), which, in the jacket illustration has all sorts of neighborhood characters who he pointed out to me -- and was translated by the author Virginia Barrett, who wrote the other books on the table -- Mbira Maker Blues: A Healing Journey to Zimbabwe and Infinite Love: Poems from a Course in Meditation.

The Carnaval Parade is a point of pride in my neighborhood. Dancers from different Latin American dance groups dress in colorful costumes and groove to their music for a couple of miles of the parade route....and then, not having danced enough, stake out the asphault dance floors of stages set up throughout the clothing and food vendors. Behind Miguel is the Cuban Rueda stage where my friends who danced in an Austin Powers styled psychadelic-Samba troupe, couldn't be pulled away from despite their sunburns, numb feet, dehydration. They'll need to put their feet up and read books for the rest of the weekend.
Here's a link to another post I did at Carnaval -- the year before last I think.