First Act. Hello
As I enter this strange space,
I feel like an explorer discovering a new territory.
Cautiously I slowly begin to learn its language,
that guides me somehow smoothly
through the inhabitants, the customs, the dynamics of the relationships, the rules and the trespassings, the dreams allocated for each night.
While navigating thru Solitude
I learn that the Hello can turn into a door
to let the Other in,
but also to let myself explore the new space created in between the words exchanged.
And so, I start articulating it, depending on
the inhabitants, the customs, the dynamics of the relationships, the rules and the trespassing, the dreams allocated for each night.
The whispered, the sharp, the soft, the sleepy, the shouted, the bold, the silent,
the muffled, the mellow, the lingering, the careless, the rehearsed, the cheerful,
the suspicious, the plaine, the demanding, the uneasy, the playful, the childish
hellos
deliver as many access keys and escape routes for the Other as needed,
in order to start each time reinventing the words and worlds that follow
and find them a home in this colony of dreams, that can only be in Solitude.
Second Act. Goodbyes and Hellos
Within the never ending row of Goodbyes and Hellos,
exactly in that particular order,
as I am these days more inclined to remember than to know,
Solitude has no beginning nor end.
It seems it was always there for some time,
sitting quietly in my mind,
unreachable,
because,
as I learned,
only in Solitude
you can find and lose yourself
as many times it is necessary
in order to start remembering who you are.
And so,
each day in this place,
within the never ending row of Goodbyes and Hellos,
exactly in that particular order,
it seems to always be
about a negotiation
between the memories of the many me’s.
The one that once learned to wander in the forest,
leaving fear locked inside a jar with cigarettes,
the one that luckily scored one goal on the football field,
leaving impossibility behind,
the one that danced till dawn,
leaving time outside of the embrace,
the one that gained the patience to listen,
leaving stories to pour in my heart,
the one that saw beauty and love
both leaving and coming together.
Third Act. Goodbye
I can only imagine myself
saying Goodbye,
using different pitches and speeds
a wide range of accents
and some assorted gestures,
which are all now forever living inside me,
colonizing myself and my memories.
But I know,
I will forever be taking
morning showers with the butterflies,
coffee on the stairs of the castle,
lunches while hearing about the next football game,
and dinners in some studio, with something other than traditional food,
because I will always be hungry for Solitude
and the greatest moments taste a little bit like that.
Solitude identity timeline resume:
It will be the beginning when you will become the goofy fellow and amuse at lunch the older fellows with your uncontrolled smiling and chatting.
It will be the middle when you will be you both with yourself and with the others.
It will be just in a way the end when your name on the studio will be exchanged for another.
Legend:
When you go to a new place, and you don’t know its language, you usually get a conversation guide with you. Among the most important words in every conversation guide, no matter the language, are the equivalents for »Hello« and »Goodbye,« as each trip is always an occasion to meet new people.
Once in a new place, a conversation unfolds itself just like a play, in 3 main acts.
First, the beginning, the introduction, when you will start with a »Hello.« Second, the middle, the development, the time when you interact with the others and acknowledge their presence using »Hellos« and »Goodbyes.« Third, the end, the moment when you are letting go and saying »Goodbye.«
In the beginning and in the end (the two loose ends) you are standing by yourself, this is why the »Hello« and »Goodbye« are in a singular form, but when you are in the middle, you are among others, thus the »Hellos« and »Goodbyes« highlighting the interaction, the plural, the community.
Your relation to a place can be determined in relation to the use of the most common words »Hello« and »Goodbye.«
You are new in place, when the word you are saying the most is »Hello,« as you are inclined to meet people.
You are accustomed to the place, when the words you are saying the most are »Hello« and »Goodbye,« as you are meeting new people, but also letting other go.
You are leaving a place, when the word you are saying the most is »Goodbye,« as you are letting go.
