Day 130: Platero and Mom and I.

"Platero is a small donkey, a soft, hairy donkey, so soft to the touch that he might just be said to be made of cotton, with no bones. Only the jet mirrors of his eyes are hard like two black crystal scarabs." (Platero and I - Juan Ramon Jimenez)

Three shelves in my bookcase are dedicated to books I've had since I was a child, but not all of them are really mine. Some are my mother's.

Platero and I was given to Mom (according to the inscription) as a late birthday present on August 22, 1957. Along with the book, she received a stuffed donkey. Both the book and the donkey became favorites, and many years later, when she passed them on to me, they became my favorites, too.

Platero and I is a book of stories about a Spanish poet and his beloved donkey. The writing, elegant and heartbreaking, is of a caliber rarely invested in children's stories anymore. The Platero vignettes reveal fundamental truths about friendship and love and a whole lot more - it's no wonder author Juan Ramon Jimenez won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature.

Earlier, Mom was poring over the bookcase, one of my favorite spots in the house. I heard the emotion in her voice when she saw Platero, who lives on the top left shelf with a few of his stuffed buddies. Then, of course, she wanted to see her old book. As she read the opening lines, I could almost see her as a child, reading them for the first time.

I credit my mother for instilling in me my love of reading and my passion for writing. When I was growing up, she not only passed along her old books, she was constantly buying me new ones. She was also my first reader. It began with my first short story (written when I was six, a blatant Kipling
rip-off) and continues to this day (she'll be reading and offering ideas for The Falling Joys Day 87 Day 124 while she's here).

Having Mom in town right now (the trip was planned months ago) is a true case of good timing. Sure, I joked yesterday.
I decided to have fun with April Fools Day and make light of things. But as you know, it has been a tough few weeks.

Too bad. Mom has no patience for any of it. Repetitive angst bores her to tears, so wallowing in her presence is just not an option. Luckily, Mom is great fun to be around, which definitely helps. Tonight, for instance, Randy (Day 26, Day 38) came over and made dinner, and in addition to amazing food, the conversation was like verbal pinball. Funny verbal pinball.

I may have missed out on the whole Dad thing (Day 48), but I totally hit the jackpot when it came to Mom.

It's a gift for which I never stop being grateful.


The aforementioned bookcase. A few years ago, I just couldn't bear to put the lights from the Christmas tree away.


First short story. A spelling bee champ? Not so much..