Agenskalns Breeze

In Agenskalns there is a breeze

that sways laughter and leaves

like a hidden memory

trying to recall its original meaning

behind the dust and the overgrown grass

Agenskalns is in Riga

on the west bank of the Daugava River

Old wooden houses mix

with soviet social housing

and in the middle, the market

The market is living a second life

transported in time

Some of its original elements remain

A window, a door

Portals to a forgotten world

from 30 or 100 years ago

The light is the same

The rain is the same

but humans have changed

Have they?

The main pavilion is now diaphanous

Old walls have fallen 

and the coats of arms of these 25 cities

are now a decoration 

and a symbol of Latvian national unity

The market is a place of exchange

not only in monetary terms

but as a choreography of give and take

Food nurtures us

physically and spiritually

It connects us to each other

and to the land

Beyond borders

Beyond owners

This second life of the market 

is slightly different

as it strives to be a community space

not only for traders and buyers

but also, for the general public

A safe space for minorities

and a temple of our shared knowledge.

Next to the market

a metallic structure stretches to the sky

It was brought from the Caspian Sea in 1955

where it used to drill in the depths of the sea

to extract the fuel of humanity’s dreams

Nowadays it is Agenskalns TV tower

It presides the neighbourhood’s skyline

as an anachronistic reminder

of our unbreakable faith in progress

Underneath plants and flower thrive 

in a DIY greenhouse

built out old window frames

It serves as a sort of public library

where you can focus, or relax

or dive into second-hand books

rescued from unreached shelves of the neighbourhood

to hear the unsung tales of the forest

Nymphs, fairies, floral beings,

werewolves, sirens and giants

They all belong to Agenskalns

Like a glass of wine

on a never-ending sunset of July.

Text by Luis Miguel Benavides, June 2024