PAULUZ
BODMER

CONDOMINIUM
OF THOUGHTS

PHILOSOPHIC
POETRY

1995

        The story of this book started when I read in a newspaper that a high medium class boy, who lived in a condominium in Barra da Tijuca, was afraid of going downtown, as he only got out of the condominium on a private bus.

        The book is in accordance with this moment of making worldwide in scope, that is transforming the lives of many people, who, disoriented begin to get lost. Against La Bruyère, who used his talents to separate the vices and the ridiculous of an opulent society, I am here to detect what I am seeing, from the increase of unemployment until the lack of money reflected in the fear and in the despair of people.

        It is a book of wisdom which is far beyond the simple knowledge of certain matters, that deal with general society’s problems mixed with the sweet setting of the autumn breeze and of my remembrances of this fantastic city, formerly full of colored butterflies, singing birds, and nowadays polluted and transformed in an absurd theater.

        It is a book of ideas and the proper reflection of them, as it uncovers or simply appreciates the many problems linked with human being.

        Like João Felício Said: “distant as the fantasy from the reality until even with the frequency that they appear in the bookstores, the Constant poetry books and the rare of thoughts unite themselves by the structure of their forms, that is what happens here, in this book of poetic meditations”.

        I come peacefully, and ask men to become better…

Pauluz

1. ANTENNAS

In a closed condominium
there are antennas
spread all around.

People who reside
there are connected
in the emptiness plugs.

2. GREED

Profit
above all.

Above the art of mankind,
of human moral
and of feelings.

Profit above all,
which transforms
you in nothing.

3. CONTACT

Before
touching
the starts
and burning
your fingers,
touch other’s
hands
here,
in the road
of life !

4. EXPERIENCE

One of the things I learned,
through the ways I passed,
was that many of the people
that I knew, preferred to listen
to lies, dreams and fantasies,
because, as they said,
truth hurts.

5. WAYS

It does not matter where to you are going.

Nowadays, what matters
is the speed
not the sense
People
run from one side to another
and get lost in the emptiness.

The majority of the people
does not have a place to go.

6. INDEPENDENCE

The greatest
of all concepts
is the one of
the freedom.

All other concepts
come afterwards.

Thus, those who exchanged
their freedom
for bread
do not know
the bad business
they have made.

7. VISION, PERSPECTIVE

Open your eyes is easy;
the difficulty is to see.

And it seems as if nobody
wanted to see anything,
not to accept responsibility
for it.

8. PINWHEEL

Toy of my childhood,
seeks today the windthat brings the song
of dreaming.

Dear pinwheel,
it is been so long
that the wind took
my dreams
and my paper kite.

9. ERRAND BOYS

To walk in this society
a good pair of tennis is worthy
than culture and knowledge.

In the gimme’s society
many still find, that walk through life
is to go to shoppings.

10. ZOO

A garden without flowers or fruits.

Joy of kids and disgrace of animals.

After all, to exchange liberty for bread is the death of the spirit.

While, the human being goes on caging till their thoughts.

The best proof of love is freedom and not food..

11. WALK

We are all passing,
but someone as if it was not enough
for us to know to pass in vain,
they pull away
the stones of the ground
to throw onto others.

12. FANCY

The dream
turned into reality...

Now one must invent
another dream
to continue living…

13. EXERCISE

To work out
and shape the body,
since the spirit can await.

After all,
what for culture and wisdom
if they are teleguided
by the media
and do not have to think.

“Mens sana in corpore sano” is over,
now it is sufficient the “corpore sano”.

14. FLEABITE

In this new
consuming society
the old values
are being replaced
by others
that,
on second thought,
are worth nothing.

15. CHANGE

I never believed
in a love story, which
becomes hatred.

Of the two one:
it was not love,
or it was not hatred.

But whatever it is,
breaks the heart.

16. PROJECT

I do not build
castles on the sand
anymore, said the man
who was homeless.

17. OBSTACLE

It is been some years, that
they threw down the wall of Berlin
and the Chinese wall
became a tourist sightseeing.

But now it became fashion
to build walls to get isolated from the world.

From one side, the richness,
and from the other the misery,
trying to jump the walls.

18. ILLUSION

All of us are perishable.

With no exception from top to toe.

But they say there
about that there is still hope..

19. SKY

The sky of men is filled with starts, and each star has its own name.

Some shine like
love others like freedom
some are profit and many are hunger.

In the sky of men the starts shine only for a small group of people.

20. AMBITION

To go further,
pass over everybody
and over all stones.

Cross the cities
climb the rivers
climb the rocks
and upthrow
their nests like the eagles.

Look at the world at their feet
that is their goal
of the poor in spirit.

21. GAUGING

On one side a lot of
unemployed,
homeless
and dropouts in general.

On the other side
half a dozen of rich ones.

Till when this balance
is going to be fair?

22. BALLOON MAN

In my life I let loose
many balloon
still one day I got into one
of them and departed.

23. CONSTRUCTION

In my childhood there were
many trees and in my house’s
garden there were rose trees
full of butterflies.

Afterwards, came men,
who tumbled the trees
and cemented the flowers.

They built many buildings linked one to the other and sold the apartment.

Today, people who live there when they open their windows face other’s walls.

24. BOTHERING

Who knows life
knows that the important thing
is to live and not to get angry at small things.

One who knows life
is conscious that it is becoming
each day more difficult
to follow this rhythm.

25. OPPORTUNITY

Many find
that they are in a bad situation
because they do not know
how to
gain money.

What an illusion!

It is not your fault.

In the world of technology
The human being lost his turn.

26. SPEECH

What I most
found
on my way
were the prattlers
who spoke
all the time.

They spoke and spoke,
here and there,
and said nothing.

27. PARADISE

There are still
a lot apples
to satisfy
our hunger of love.

28. FOOTWEAR

Boots
have always
been a threat.

The poet said
that boots were made to
step on the flowers
of the gardens.

29. CHIMERA

One can
give up of everything
except of his dream.

If you desist
of your dream,
the wings of fantasy,
who sustain
your flight
will not resist
and you will fall
onto emptiness.

To dream is to live.

30. CONSTELLATION

Those starts
with which I have always
dreamt of
suddenly
are falling
on me,
smashing my dreams.

31. CANNIBAL

None of the animals
bite more
than men.

And the man animal,
with his greed,
bites till our soul
and eats up our guts.

32. HOUR GLASS

Time
has taught me
a lot of things.

Time was
the greatest of
all teachers.

Time taught me
that everything
in life passes
and that life
is a simple game.

33. FABLE

Until today we are told
stories where evil fights
and winds goodness.

But, on the contrary,
reality shows
that the real hero
is evil
who pretends to be
a good person.

34. DATE

He said:
- I am going to
catch a star
up in the sky
for you.

She answered:
- You do not need
to go that far,
just take my hand.

35. PROGRESS

They exterminated almost everything that existed around here

They killed the lakes, the rivers, polluted the air, expulsing the birds, which sang on spring.

All this and much more to accumulate money in their banking accounts.

36. FRUITIFICATION

In the human nature,
flowers come first.

Afterwards there come
the bitter fruits
when one starts
to savor life’s taste.

37. CHANCE

The majority of people
look for something
and find nothing
in this world of things
and people.

Lucky are the ones
that among thousands
of options,
find something.

38. ANTAGONISM

They insist on speaking
about free competition.
It is a misrepresented
concept of freedom.

There cannot be competition
among patchy ones.

Since when the lion
shares his hunting
with the other animals ?

39. BARKS

There is a poet
on the streets
who follows
his dog.

But there is also
many people
making holes
on the street so that
the poet
falls down.

40.SONG

The music of your heart
gets lost in the polluted air
of the big cities
and does not reach your ears
anymore.

People, who walks
deaf and insensitive
at human songs.

41. STONES

As they cannot stone
the first stone
then they throw the second
and the third on us.

42. THORNS

Roses of gold and silver
and of other noble materials,
none of you smell
as spring.

Roses of the profit
and of lurch; your petals
are red
of blood.

43. ERUDITION

I heard so many theories
that I created one
of my own extracting
a little from each
of these theories.

It is just one more theory.

44. NIGHT PARTY

Cars are driven
throughout the night
in the search for dream
and pleasure.

Speeds up loneliness
before dawn arrives!

45. SHINE

The light is on
inside ourselves,
but one single blow
is enough to turn it out.

We are fragile
like gas lampions.

46. ECOLOGY

As things are
being processed,
the flowers
will be born
in winter
and the fruits
in summer.

47. VALUE

None is worried
with the dimension
of the human being.

As they do not get tired
of increasing the prices
one is under the impression
that everything is worth more,
except the human being which,
as they think, are worth nothing.

It is just a matter of seeing the wages…

48. DOUBTS

There has been many years
and the big secret remains.

No one knows,
none answers our questions.

How deep is this night?
What is the mystery of the abyss?

49. JOY

The circus
of life
is full of illusions.

And we keep on
laughing at the clowns
while we walk
running all risks,
like the acrobats
at the circus.

50. PREMISE

In anywhere
of the world
what counts
is the law
of the strongest,

Unless the weak
get
united.

51. SCARS

The doors of the heart
are open.

Some get in
and others get out.

By getting in,
they take care not
to hurt anybody.

Upon their departure
they slam the doors,
and hurting on and on

52. STAIR

The clock indicates
only the hours.

Our steps record the time
which,
little by little,
become tired
of climbing
and stepping down
the steps of life.

53. HONEYCOMB

The honey
of the bee
is great!

The honey
of the human being
is even better.

54. DISTANCES

From far away,
the circus of life
is a comedy.

Coming closer,
the circus of life
is a drama

Thus, take care
not to permit that
the circus is set on fire.

55. HARDNESS

The volcano erupted
and the heart of the mountain
exploded in a thousand pieces.

Afterwards the fire extinguished
and the
maggots
stiffened.

But till today, men go there
to exchange their human heart
for a stone heart.

56. DATA PROCESSING

They are getting
more
worried
with the machine
than with the men.

57. MESSAGES

He wrote that he loved her
on the sand of the beach.

She did the same thing
on the waves of the sea.

Thus holding each other’s hands,
kept looking at their love
who was vanishing.

58. FUN

Days fly, years run.

And we, perplexed,
Holding each other’s hands
play wheel games around
the time which oozes...

59. ITINERARY

I was told that life
is a straight line
and they showed mea way to follow.

I kept following this way
till I found
that I was at
a dead-end.

60. PEAK

He arrived at the peak of the hierarchy.

Of every human being that passed through his life he made a step to climb.

He stepped at many people and achieved his goal.

Now he is up there afraid of falling down..

61. ANATOMY

People’s
body
is made of water
and bread
to satisf
your thirst and
starvation of love...

62. TUNELESS

Life is like a violin
that is played uninterruptedly.

One day a string bursts.

Afterwards other strings burst
till the instrument ceases to play.

63. SURETY

Nothing
is for sure…

Or should
I say
only the nothing
is certain ...

64. WINGED

Do not get eluded
with the wings
of the birds.

What really flies
is the time
of our lives.

65. ROOT

Hey, guys,
do not swear
love on the trunk
of the trees
as this fire
inside you
disappears,
and the tree
remains
with the scar..

66. TRANSFUSION

There are people
selling their
own blood
to pay their bills
and buy
a piece
of bread.

67. ANALYSIS

One day
I went out for there
looking for the sense
of things.

When I came back
I kept finding that
the majority of things
do not make sense.

68. OPPORTUNITY

One day
is of the hunting
and other is of the hunter,
says the proverb.

Except that days
that pass are each time more
of the hunter.

The hunting has no turn,
like the majority of people.

69. REALITY

“Truth”
was put on line
by the TV channels.

Now the antennas
are connected
to cheat through images.

And there is still
people who say:
-It is true, I saw it on TV.

70. DISBANDMENT

In the city
where everyone run
it is better
to walk slowly.

Where to run:
I do not know,
I did not dare
to ask.

People
are escaping
from themselves.

71. THROWER

They started
playing of throwing
small stones in the lake.

Afterwards they
learned
to throw bigger stones
in our hearts.

72. POLLINATION

There comes spring.

All nature
is celebrating.

Inside the good human being
there are many flowers.

73. PUBLICITY

Before buying bread,
buy a TV
as in those times of crisis,
a coloured
TV feeds you more.

74. TUMULT

In the silence of the night
I listen to the violin
to easy my ears
of the screams
and of the horns
of the whole day
of this crazy city.

The noisy people
do not know
but civility
is measured in decibels.

75. STATISTICS

Sales are increasing.

It happens that they initiated
counting all of those
who are selling
their own souls
for some change.

76. METAMORFHOSIS

It seems that
everything
is changing.

Now
the things
speak.

It is people
that are becoming
dumb.

77. MARKET

One thing is man,
the human being,
and the other
the object.

But people
are getting
misunderstood.

Man object
woman object
are for sale
like any other merchandise.

78. NAVIGATION

The boats
of illusion
come alongside
not in the portsof life,
but in the heart
of those who dream.

One must navigate!

79. EXPENSES

There are two ways
of doing things
for the others.

One of them is with money
and the other is with love.

Except that,
sometimes,
the things made with love
are more expensive.

80. REMEMBRANCES

It is been a lot of time,
but one day,
in my heart,
which is made of earth,
the grass of the
homesickness
was growing.

81. PUPPET

They say that
the world is a theatre.

Comedy, tragedy,
lots of drinks
and a piece of bread.

The world looks like
a marionette theater.

82. TRUTH

One of the greatest
inventions
of men
was the truth.

After they discovered that
the “truth” served to everything,
until he uncovered the truth
that did not matter.

Nowadays people know
that in the truth of men
there is great lie.

83. INSECTS

Spring was just
beginning,
when a
yellow butterfly
entered the grades
of the condominium
and went to kiss a flower.

While it was touching
the flower
she was grabbed
by a boy,
who tore its wings.

[Condomínio]