palatka/ocala, florida

just back from a planned, yet unannounced, trip to florida. my parents house, to introduce them to my girlfriend (y vice versa). lots of fun, middle of the swamp palatka crescent beach san augustine (mobile) ocala -- my grandparents' farm. "stancil's pineywoods farm." the road that was a dirt road until a few years ago, named "stancil avenue." cuz it only went to grandpa's sandpit and my cousins' trailer, nothing but stancils.
anyway, they're widening it to four lanes, eminent domaining a large chunk. the future se viene. uncle harold had to run fence along the new edge. and the entrance, with a wooden sign my grandpa hung there 60 or 70 years ago. being moved. because too much traffic. they (my mom, her brothers) don't want to sell the farm./ but it makes no money, no money in florida cattle anymore. no money in hay, all the farms do horses now. import special stuff from canada.
and the city is coming. every month more. every year the tax assessment grows, so they have to start selling it. and not sellnig it to make money. they're selling it to get cash to pay the taxes. it's shrinking with no ROI. of course, they could sell the whole thing, there'd be profit in that, but loss in equal measure. bunch of developers want to put bighouses with toy horse farms all over ocala. that or strip malls.
can't stop time. but ni modo, can't touch memories either. nos vemos en otro lado, grandpa.

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translation of the Manu Chao song "Me Llaman Calle"

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Kip Austin Hinton

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