The voice of the violinha
My name is Brian Forester. I've been a capoeirista for about 5 years. My father is an ambassador which includes that every 5 years we move to an other house in an other country.
I started capoeira the first day that we moved in to our house in Porto (Portugal). After the unpacking I went for a walk in the city , that's where capoeira called me. There was a group capoeiristas training in a park. I must have watched them for about 2 hours ! Afterwards I went to the capoeira teacher and asked him when the next training session was and if I could participate. “Next day be there” he said ! I stayed with the same group for the whole 5 years. I received my cordo of graduado on my last day in Porto which also was on my birthday. After the batizado I had my “goodbye roda” and my professor played against me till we both were exhausted. Afterwards we went for a drink in a local bar. We talked about all the great things that happened in the past and he gave me an address of a market in Recife (Brazil) where they only sold the best berimbau's. “Brian,” he said “When you go to that market you have to watch out for one thing: There are stories about a “sirine” which lures sailors who were shopping into the ocean… None of them returned !!! We both laughed , said goodbye and I promised him to come and visit him one time.
The next day I had to get up at 5 am to take the plane to Recife. My new home for the next 5 years. After unpacking I looked up the address of market my professor gave me and I decided it was time to buy myself a birthday present. A new berimbau ! The market was about 10 minutes walking from my new home, so I was lucky because Recife has about 8 million inhabitants and is about the size of LA. As I approached I couldn't help myself smiling when I heard all the sounds of those berimbau`s . “I you don't find a good berimbau on that marked“, my Professor said, “you'll never find one !” I strolled between the different stands when suddenly my eyes met the eyes of a beautiful girl behind a berimbau stand. She was without a doubt the most beautiful person I had ever seen. She had dark eyes which reflected in the lowering sun , long raven-black eyelashes and black slightly curled hair. The softest lips and the cutest nose. As she smiled at me, I felt like I was in the middle of a waterfall of emotions, what a charisma she had ! She was playing a Beautifully painted Violinha ( a berimbau with the highest pitch) and It's sound struck me like lightning. “Is this one for sale” I asked ?
She smiled and answered with a voice that was as beautiful as the sound of the berimbau she was playing: “It was waiting for you here all the time.” As I searched for my money I realised I had forgotten my wallet at home. “I will be right back with the money” I said and took off. She smiled.
It took me 5 minutes to get back home. I ran up the stair and searched for my wallet which I found after a while.
“Where are you going in such a hurry ?” my mother asked. “I just found the most beautiful girl… uhm… berimbau ever!” I replied. Again I sprinted back to the market square. When I came back to the stand I didn't saw the girl immediately so I asked the shop-owner where the girl was with the painted berimbau. “What girl ?” the man answered. “I work here alone, and I don't sell painted berimbau's.” I didn't know what to do at first. Then I started searching the market square for the girl with the berimbau. When the shop owners starting to go home I decided to do the same.
I didn't eat much that evening and afterwards I went strait to bed. Of course I couldn't sleep… I stared at the sealing for hours thinking why she didn't wait for me, so many questions so little answers. After a few hours I decided a walk on beach would relax my troubled mind, so I took a pair of capoeira pants and some sandals out of the cupboard and silently left the house. I took me about 15 minutes to reach the beach. I was 3 pm and extremely calm. I was all alone !
I started walking but soon stopped when I heard a sound breaking the whispers of the ocean. I heard the sound ! On a rock that connected the beach with the ocean she sat. Peacefully playing the Violinha. The same one she had on the market square. I approached her and took place next to her. She smiled but kept on playing. Suddenly the lack of sleep hit me. This long day of commotion suddenly made me tired ,very tired...
It was the ocean at my feet that wake me up. I must have slept for a complete hour on the beach. The girl was gone but Viola was still there. Maybe she was the Violinha… or maybe my teacher was right …
The sun came up and now I could clearly see the painting on the cabaça of the berimbau:
A beach and an ocean were divided by a rock and on that rock, the shadow of a girl playing a Violinha as the sun came up…
written by Piu-piu
@ copyright
dedicated to "Pestana"