To Be/Not To Be

The sweet fragrance of wild flowers invaded the afternoon, as the slow hours of the siesta faded away with the droning rumor of cicadas. I went for a walk. After crossing a small forest of palms, I encountered a riverbank, where I saw a vulture perched on top of the highest tree. At that moment I heard splashing in the water. I turned to look and realized there were reptiles everywhere around me. Then I saw a large gathering of crocodilian fellows ready for battle, with their long shining bodies next to one another, perfectly parked along the shore. Their solid appeal, the stubbornness of their intention, and their silent expectation portray the peculiar character of those who follow strict instinctual orders.

In Latin America, when the army overthrows a government and takes up its positions in the streets, civilian life is monitored by these characters. They are on every corner showing off their prehistoric skin, smoking cigarettes.  

As I slowly retreated from the site, one of them followed me.  My involuntary response was not to hide, but to photograph the predator. I clearly remember him discretely smiling at me as I walked away.