The night we arrived the porter announced

a body floating in the swimming pool.

It was humid, we’d hoped to dive in.

At ice cream parlours the mood was vibrant,

different from the sad old bourse.

The news channels delivered endless

stories – kidnappings and divorces,

obesity and immigration,

film stars and their anxious children.

Mostly, we lived on fajitas and rice.

The government buildings were boarded up,

people were hoarding machetes.

The surface was calm, the cars enormous.

I’d never seen more immaculate hearses.