Curaçao; There where I was born

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There, where the ground is too hard to grow your roots, but once you do they can never be unrooted.

There, where there is always plenty of food.

Where a neighborhood raises a child,

knows your secrets and acts like they don’t.

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There, where it’s so small, you can travel it in a day,

but get lost for weeks.

There where the beaches are made by nature

and the rocks breathe the history of our magic.

There is even a place,

where you can hear a giant breathe…

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It’s an island full of diversity

that sometimes unifies us, while other days it divides.

Our history, build on salt and blood.

A mix of Jewish ancestry, European adventurers

and African diaspora

that makes some of us proud, while for others it still hurts.

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We are an island emancipating.

Released from a colonialism that blew over the west

long after it was (supposed to be) gone.

We are a young nation with a future so bright as our sun,

but as dark as our oceans for we are afraid of what we are incapable of.

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Indians and pirates. Kings and queens...

We’ve had them all. We have a history that reads like a book.

We look forward to your visit, but not yet sure of what we have to offer.

We are old, we are new, we are (at least) 42 nations combined

on a special kind of rock.

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Discover us, as we discover you.

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Andrew 'Andy' Kirchner, Willemstad, Curaçao 2015

Originally posted on www therecycledpirate.com