The Armadillo
The poem begins with the narrator mentioning they are in some time of the year when a strange event happens: every day, illegal balloons rise higher and higher, above the mountains. The balloons are rising towards a saint appreciated in the village where the action takes place and the heat and light produced by the fire inside the fire balloons is compared with hearts, thus hinting the idea that the balloons are filled with feelings and emotions.
The third stanza highlights how once the balloons had reached the sky, they become just like stars and planets and a person down on earth can no longer tell the difference between them. The wind makes them move almost uncontrollably and their place on the sky becomes uncertain. The wind in this situation can either make the balloons fly even higher and forsake those on earth or make them dangerous for those bellow, making them fall back on the earth and staring fires.
The narrator mentions an instance when a balloon fell on an owl nest and set it on fire, thus showing the balloon’ destructive power. The narrator mentions how the nest belonged to a pair of ancient owls showing how the fire has the power to destroy ancient elements. Near the destructed nest, an armadillo fled and also a rabbit started running. The end of the poem it is used in such a manner it evokes feelings of panic and transmits the idea of destruction.
The poem begins with the narrator talking about a dirty filling station, covered in oil to the extent the station is black. The second stanza talks about the owners of the filling station, a father and his sons who spend their day at work.
The narrator implies the father and the sons live in the gas station along with a dog and goes to describe their home, stained with oil just as the rest of the station. The only different thing is a doily lamp, sitting in the room where the comic books are.
The narrator points out how out of place the dolly is in the room but ends the poem by claiming every person needs someone to take care of them and that the doily is a symbol for that.
Arrival at Santos
The poem begins with the line ‘’Here is a coast’’ and continues to describes the surroundings seen by the narrator. A harbor, mountains and a church are also mentioned and the idea transmitted is that everything described is ordinary. The narrator addresses the tourists or immigrants, mentioning their probable disappointment upon seeing the country and what it has to offer.
The narrator and another lady named Miss Breen come down from the ship and they are surprised to see a flag and money. The narrator thinks to herself she would like to keep the things she brought with her before going inland with the other woman.
