One fine day in prehistoric times, my mother came up with the wonderful idea of moving me to a bilingual school. Gud morning.

While that maternal inspiration was crucial in my life, it happily also led to an early and brief encounter with creativity, ingenuity and daring. Taka Tum, tum.

It was at that Methodist School in Barrio La Granja in the late sixties, when I got my hands on a publication with a booklet full of poems. Among others, one of them said something remotely like this:

Taka tum tum táka taka tum.

Katún, tum taka katún katún,

Tum, taka túuuuuuuuun, tún

kata tum taka kata tum tum tum tún.

Taka tum tum táka taka tum.

I do not dare to add an additional line, since I only keep reflections of that idea. Nor do I risk spoiling with my bad attempt, the astonishment that that phonetic poem generated in me, made of words armed with few vowels and great sonority, rhythm and tonality. Taka tum had no visible meaning and seemed to have been designed to be a little bit music, a little bit verse and a lot of delight for the sheer audacity. Tika tar, tín tín.

The published experimental poetry was not exactly alliteration and may have been part of a fad, though that is for the experts to know. I understand that it reflected a phonetypical aspect of the poetic avant-garde in those times, as it also allowed us to discover the genius of those who created it with joy, curiosity and without fear of ridicule or failure. That poem filled me with amazement and captivated my early imagination, so it resonates tum a tum question as much as tum the same taka tum: Who would have written it?

I have a vague idea of a taka tum created by a young man about two or three years older than me, and who had Alonso for a first or last name. Many times I have asked about this person who, without intending to, gave me an early experience of influence and inspiration. What will become of this creative and courageous person?

So, the idea is to rescue that poetry remembered with a taka tum, and at the same time, to honor the influence of its author. If you have information about taka tum tum tum táka taka tum, I would be grateful if you could share it in this blog. Did he write more poetry?

I hope so.

Chan, chán.