On the 11th of September of 1973, the socialist president Salvador Allende committed suicide as the Palace of La Moneda, the presidential residence, was bombarded and ransacked by the Armed Force of Chile: Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as law enforcement. They would take control, and form a dictatorial junta that would politically suppress the country and reign through terror and human rights abuse until 1990. Thousands would be killed or made to disappear, tens of thousands would be tortured and repressed, and hundreds of thousands would leave the country.
On the 11th of September of 2023, the 50th anniversary of this coup will take place. And so, for once, I turn to my Chilean roots, and write from the heart. Eleven pieces will be posted, one each day.
Viva Chile. Viva el pueblo.
Also, considering how 'Chilean' this is, might leave some trivia here. For the time being, know that this first part was greatly inspired by Pablo Neruda's style in his poetry collection, 'Canto General'. Pablo Neruda was a Chilean poet, and friend of Allende, who won the 1971 Nobel Prize of Literature, and was poisoned by the junta, dying the 23rd of September of 1973. Considerably worse than his work, but hey, we can't all be Nobel laureates.