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Words With Claws

It is undeniably impossible to tame a puma completely. Everyone knows that. But what if I told you Belisa Crepusculario could tame one with just two words - with just her name? 

Published in 1989, Two Words by Isabelle Andelle paints the picture of a merchant called Belisa Crespusculario spreading hope and a Colonel spreading despair, bringing people together with the power of words. Through the unnoticeable complexities that words carry, even the loneliest and scariest man was renewed and loved by the people - by Belisa.

Born poor with no name, Belisa Crepusculario suffered great difficulties. She was ready to build a future along with a new identity when after an unfathomable drought, she was left with the burden of burying her four younger siblings, and it dawned on her that she was next. To escape her fate, she left home and learned about the beauty and power of words. As time passed, words gave her a voice that empowered and allowed her to discover fragments of herself in poetry. And when she finally “found the poetry of “beauty” and “twilight” and cloaked herself in it” (p. 1), she was renewed and became a new woman - she became Belisa Crepusculario. 

With words liberating Belisa from her once insufferable life, she realized she could use the same power to help others. So, “she made her living selling words” (p. 1). She became renowned for citing verses, writing letters, and even enhancing the unique experience of dreaming. She even gifted her clients with illusion and mystique through secret and special words that dispel melancholy. Her ability transcends reality and emphasizes how words accelerate change and make an impact. The power and bizarreness of selling words capture the strange magic that language can hold.

Belisa’s power continued to reach many people’s hearts, but one individual was touched to the core: the Colonel. The Colonel was a battle-scarred puma that scared everyone around him. Even women would miscarry at the sight of him. Tired of his reputation, he ran for President, hoping to change his country. But, he was rough around the edges and could not do it alone. So, ready to change, he turned to Belisa for help. She assisted him in seeing how pure-hearted he truly was and curated a speech for him that, when spoken aloud, left a “splendid memory of a comet’s tail” (p. 6). But, despite his perfect speech and nearing his goal, he was ready to abandon it all once Belisa whispered two words to him. As a result, instead of becoming President, he unexpectedly transformed into someone who loves Belisa. When they met again, “the whole world could see the voracious-puma eyes soften as the woman walked to him and took his hand in hers” (p.7).

After being in a world where words go beyond what we comprehend and feel, we can see that love and emotions in thoughtful words can renew different aspects of our lives. Whether used to replace trails of terror with hope or to rise from the bottom and overcome adversities, there is no doubt a mystical power hidden within not only Belisa Crespucalrio, the mountain cat’s claws but also her words. Maybe your two words can tame a puma. Maybe your two words can really change the world. You never know.

References:

Allende, I. (1989). Two Words In The Stories of Eva Luna (pp.1-7.) Sudamericana.

Images:

Barra, L. (n.d.). Isabel Allende's new novel is "A Long Petal of the Sea." https://www.tampabay.com/arts-entertainment/arts/books/2020/01/25/isabel-allende-writes-of-love-in-wartime-and-after/

Carmen. (2014, May 14). Dos palabras. http://escritosdemanosdemujeres.blogspot.com/2014/05/dos-palabras.html

Friedrich, C. (n.d.). Pareja contemplando la luna. https://juancarlosboverimuseos.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/pinturas-del-museo-de-la-antigua-galeria-nacional-de-berlin/

Ratterree, A. (2014, March 19). Belisa Crepusculario. https://aliceink.com/weeks-inspiration/