Intro To Nicaragua, Circa 1987 Poem by mutt barker

Now Dont get me wrong here, I have led a very sheltered life, and have been guarded by my own wits, as well as or more by unseen and at the time, unknown powers and beings.

Any hoo, I was an innocent babe of a mere 27 years, and when the chance came up to have a fling with an actual babe of 30, I let the chance slide by, thinking she was too old. If only I could go back and slap myself sober.

But I guess that is why I was single at the time of my adventures through the mystical land of Central America. It was during 1987, during the height of the 'contras'. Nicaragua had overthrown Somoza around '78, after a bad earthquake that left little standing.

Somoza recieved lots of aid money to help his people, which he kept, or so I heard. Well, the people rose up, they made home made tanks by welding 1/4 inch sheet metal plate to cars.

Streets were named after fallen soldiers. At some point, After the Sandinistas were victorious, serious weaponry came in from Russia, as well as Potatoes. I remember the rumor of cheap potatoes.

I experienced the state of the stores, empty, except for certain items. A shipment of books, one title, a childrens title, I bought ten or so, and gave them away to excited kids, at the central market, run by individuals, selling their wares. There was the Yogurt stand, where fresh milk was stirred up in glasses, and fermented, and served all right there. The fresh milk was brought by a pickup truck that ladled it out into your container on it's daily run.

I never saw the war. Only once, I saw a line of armored vehicles crawling its way back to the capital city, I was lying down on a bump of a hill, it was night, and I guess they saw me, for they stopped, and peered with a funny light. I froze, in a sleeping position, and soon, they continued on, and were gone. Like a long caterpiller. It is something that is awash in old memories, and it is easy now to wonder if it ever really happened.

I tell you, I did some crazy things, looking back. For example, I chucked a rock at a twenty something girl with a submachine gun strapped accross her back. I tell you, I had some serious Public Relations issues. I dont think I would be throwing any rocks at any chicks with submachine guns from my current vantage point of a sedentary 48 year old father of three.

Please find below a scene of two young soldiers, one holding a gun to my back, and the other looking through my stuff. I had that day entered Nicaragua from a bus dropping me off at the costa Rica side. I set off walking, and for variety, walked along a beach that parrallelled the road. Soon it got dark, and as I was stumbling my way accross fences and private property, a peasant man ordered me into his house, and sent for the guards, who were under a bridge, guarding it.

'Below'- please continue this story with the 'poem' Nicaragua during the time of the contras.