i wish i hadn't been alone

when i watched this film
dealing with the realm of unassuming protest juxtaposed in and between the worlds of poetry, poverty, violence, education, censorship, sexuality, identity, exile and isolation
the cinematography often made poetic statements of its own
this is a film you could watch without sound
but you wouldn't want to
because Arenas' words are sharp and wonderful
and when they take form across the screen
converting the texture of the film into the textuality of its origins
they are crisp, sparse, dirty, necessary
they left me with the urgent need to think about the importance of place
and to read poetry with my eyes closed