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Xixim
A prose poem  

By Alan Van Bodegraven, Eco Paraiso

(Note: “Xixim,” a Mayan word for seashell, is a noted name in the history of the Yucatan region of Mexico. It was the name of a Spanish plantation originally cleared from the rainforest in the 1580s for cattle grazing. Later the site produced sisal and other fibers and is now the largest bamboo plantation in the Western Hemisphere. Xixim is also part of the the name of the Eco Paraiso Xixim, a noted seaside eco-lodge in Yucatan.)

It is winter at Xixim but still warm enough to wade or swim in the gulf waters, dip in the pool or just feel the sun on your back.

Approaching five in the afternoon, the sun begins working its way toward the western edge of the water; winter solstice wasn’t t that long ago and the days are short.

Some plants blossom during the winter in this unusual semi-arid, tropical terrain. Palm trees and cactus side by side providing homes and food to animals and birds.

More than anything, it is a quiet place. One hears the buzzing of a fly several feet away; not just the chirping but also the sound of bird’s wings pushing through the air. . .all against the ever-present background of rolling waves upon the shore. 

I am waiting for the night. The endless deep, blue sky of the day will become complete darkness in the night. Without artificial lights, the stars will shine brighter than ever seen before.

In the morning I hear crickets afar off, birds rustling in the bushes and small animals moving through the low grasses. Much more can be heard than seen.

It seems as though the breeze never ceases and brings clean crisp salt air unspoiled by all the “progress” of our urban lives.

A cardinal flashed its color, bright red, among the green and beige of bush and sand, as did the flycatcher with its yellow and white a few moments earlier. It is a painting on the move, with music as the sundry collection of birds call out.

The ospreys and frigates soar majestically, if not lazily, high in the azure skies. Pelicans and cormorants are closer to the water in search of their “daily bread”.

Ashore, the action picks up as orioles, tanagers and flycatchers swoop down upon the endless supply of flying insects. The smaller song birds dart back and forth between bushes and the hummingbirds make their mad dashes between blossoms changing directions without ever slowing down.

Strangely, this collection of sights and sounds together create a peace and tranquility in this place called Xixim, “little seashell,” on the beach in Yucatan.