Mimosa flowers fall on them. Wisps of cloud float overhead and dew forms as twilight approaches. Passion has possessed them completely. They are as two young foals, spirited animals, moaning and possessing each other voraciously. Finally, everything ends, and they lie on their backs, watching the sky. Stars look on with their faces of fire. Still she forgets her son, who has been washed away down stream, over waterfalls and through torrid shoals.
The Azuero Peninsula is full of stories. Like the wistful tale of Tulivieja (a young woman who appears in various forms all over Central America), who went mad with grief after losing her baby on the banks of a river, while she was in the arms of her lover. Some say she grew hooves and long, wiry hair. Some say she roams the banks of remote rivers, wailing mournfully. Some say she knocks on doors late at night, looking for children who have been neglected or abandoned. Some say she leaves upside-down footprints on doors to warn of her presence.
Whatever the story, the past is never far away in Panama.
In Panama I learnt the importance of being yourself, no matter who that is.
I learned the importance of integrity, honesty and trust. I learned the importance of respecting the depth and complexities of culture, not just of those countries in which we travel. In Panama I relearned the strength of the bond that ties me to my own home, my own culture.
I also collaborated with some beautiful musicians
and co-wrote this song with my good friend Sarah, leaving behind a fear of singing in Spanish.
Kind of.
Fears We Leave Behind will be released on Tuesday 6th June, and will be available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Music and the CD Baby website.
Emma Jay Ashton 