Memory and Place: A Morning in Buenos Aires

The narrative begins with the narrator waking up in Buenos Aires, where the morning is filled with the sounds of a dog barking and birds singing. Although the narrator is an adult attempting to find silence to write, the specific quality of the summer light and noise triggers a profound sensory memory of childhood.

The author recalls a small town upbringing, specifically remembering the smell of melting white soap in zinc tubs and the sound of folk music on the radio. The memory expands to include climbing olive trees and the smell of a father returning from the countryside. Ultimately, the piece describes a state of grace where the annoyances of daily life are replaced by a feeling of love and belonging.

The day started with a sudden shift in perception. It was not yet eight in the morning, and the narrator was in an apartment in Buenos Aires. The balcony door was open to let the cat enjoy the sun, and a partner was preparing coffee while speaking to a friend located in Tierra del Fuego.

Despite the physical location, the narrator's mind drifted away from the task of writing. The combination of the summer light hitting the glass and the general bullicio (noise) of the city created a bridge to the past. The external environment of the apartment dissolved, replaced by the internal landscape of a childhood morning.

The memory was vivid and detailed, focusing on a small town where the narrator grew up. The sensory details were overwhelming: the aroma of white soap melting in large zinc tubs, clothes drying in the sun, and a radio tuned to a folklore program.

Specific auditory and visual memories surfaced with clarity. The narrator remembered the arqueada (arched) voice of a mother singing along to the music, the green of ripening grapes, and the sound of fruit falling in the patio. The memory included the tactile sensation of climbing a ladder against a back wall to pick high olives, and the visual of a silk scarf tied over a mother's hair.

Among the sensory recollections, the return of the father from the fields played a central role. The memory included the specific olor ácido (acidic smell) he brought back with him, a scent associated with the fertile land.

Accompanying the smell was the sound of his heavy boots, described as rechoncho (stout/chunky), filled with muddy water from the canals. These specific details anchored the narrator in a time when life was defined by these natural, cyclical events.

Returning to the present moment in Buenos Aires, the narrator reflects on the difference between the adult seeking solitude and the child who embraced the world. The noise of the past was not an annoyance but a sign of life, described as an innocent eroticism of slowed speed.

The conclusion describes this feeling as a state of grace. In this state, nothing was bothersome because everything was pregnant with spores of affection. The narrator acknowledges that this state serves no practical purpose, but is a blessed experience of pure connection to the world.