The San Jose Super Hero's.

The San Jose Super Hero's

Live from the San Jose mine. Clapping whistling, cheering. Shaking heads in pure emotion. It’s not quite the landing on the moon. Wait a minute. How long is a minute? The Beatles expressed how much time a minute is very well in the song, all you need is love, in the yellow submarine. In fact wait longer than a minute. Wait for seventeen days in the dark no contact with your loves, or loved ones. It is. This is the same as landing on the moon. Apollo 11. The Eagle is risen. Repeat the Eagle is risen.

A band of brothers trapped closer than most to the centre of the Earth. This is a great day for the human species. Thirty three life’s saved. Thirty three families saved. Shining Chilean Stars.

Husbands and wife’s embracing. Holding up the rescue. What’s a little more time between friends for loved ones to share a hug. Imagine the miners down below, what would they say, i heard their words, hug them, kiss them, love them, touch them, see them, hold them, of course, what’s a minute longer in the darkness when a minute can mean so much.

A woollen blanket. Soft. Brown and yellow. Cosy patterns. Chilly in Chile. Keeping Alex warm. Thumbs up. A cheer and into the ambulance. This is beautiful and emotional.
A pure good moment.
The rescue craft is like something out of Thunderbirds, or Dan Dare.
Thunderbirds to the rescue.
The cables, being lowered on a spoked wheel. A wheel. Three cheers for the turning wheel, symbol of invention and if you think about it, the earth, the sun, new dawn, new day, new life, a wheel of creation, what might have been the end, a new beginning like some magnificent, coloured feathered bird, arising fresh, from the ashes of a hot flame.
As I write this the count is at ten out of thirty three.
Humans trapped step from the darkness, into what looks like a rocket ship. To then travel. Brilliantly like a Nasa craft I imagine that trip, from the bottom of the tube (a length of 620 metres the combined height of 254 residential houses stacked on top off each other) upwards, towards the light. The miner’s mission to the moon, inner space, to outer space, ground control, to major tom. Each one of the San Jose miners is in my heart an astronaut. The phoenix, a sun bird, rising from the darkness of the tunnel, into the light of the San Jose flames.
Each miner given a pair of sunglasses. The light is shining brightly on this brave new world.
This record is for anyone down on human kind. These miners, souls in the ground, following their human hearts, it makes me well up with joy for such grounded people. The healthiest amongst the band, offered to go up first to make sure it would be safe for their injured brothers. Yes. Yes.
The foreman. Who did everything to the letter during the perils of being trapped in the mine. A superman amongst supermen. Rations. A leader. In a time of crisis. Like a captain on a ship. Keeping his crew safe with, a steady hand upon the tiller, and knowledge of the charts. I’m imagining the tears and cheers of celebration for when Luis Urzua comes up from inside the Earth.
Like any good captain worth an ounce of salt, Urzua will wait until all his crew have gone, before, being left alone, just he who kept them safe, and the darkness. Alone together in the mine. Spirits, touching, this band, helping each other through every day, the foreman, conducting all, geeing up, picking up the stumbles, picking up the falls. It is a captains grace, and right, that it is so, he left last, to stand alone, last of the band of brothers. It is he that believes we all shine, just as bright as each other and so each deserve the same level of cheer, for no-one worked harder than any other, all pulled exactly the same way, equals. My ears wait. For they are looking forward to Luis Urzua’s cheer.

Everyone has played their part in a very special piece of Earth history.
I missed the moon landings. I am twenty six, yet looking at the mine in Chile, I could draw parallels with the surface of the moon, the Chilean flag, planted firmly on the craggy rock for all the world to see.

The contrast in size of this petite rescue ship, to a giant behemoth Nasa exploration vessel. Also the sound and fuel. No rocket propulsion, no fearsome jets, sonic boom. The turning of a wheel and creaking cable chords. Creak creak creak. Rackity clank. I adore this capsule for its rackityness. I call the miners, astronauts, they are astronauts, great explorers.
They’ve journeyed together as men further than so many. Trapped closer than most to the centre of the Earth for thirty three days, seventeen of which, two weeks, and three, no contact, none, with the world above them, how they must have felt on the day before contact was made. How they must have felt the day contact was made. Sixteen days later, imagine how good they must be feeling when they arrive like budding flowers of spring, back into their loved ones hands.
One in the capsule at a time.

The ride is smooth. In their dinky looking rescue capsule. Cute, in colour scruff and size. In one of the band of brothers goes, one great adventure onto the next, or if you’d prefer, a never ending adventure.
Stepping out. Into the dessert land surrounded by mountains. Underneath a blue sky. One world to another. Contact is made.

I love the story in the air, my sources have yet to confirm if it is true. That one of the miners is going to see both his wife and his mistress when he returns to the surface of the Earth. Hugs and embrace for each of them. In my mind as a result of their experience in this incident, the wife and the mistress become best friends.

What will Urzua do before getting in the capsule. Perhaps nothing. There is of course, nothing more he has to do.

He might wink, or kiss, or salute, or just well share a moment on his own with, his and his brothers, shelter, sanctuary, that could so easily have been a tomb.

The shadow created by rays of golden light shining on the spinning wheel create a turning sun shadow on the rocky pink grey ground.
I’m hungry but I cant turn away.
What is a little hunger to me right now.

I want to ride out and share this experience as much as I can with everybody involved and anyone who it passed by.
Two presidents. Chile and Bolivia. Two states. Dark light. Above ground underground. Ying-Yang. War forgotten. For ever. At least for one day. As the two presidents Chile and Bolivia. Lay down their quarrels and join hands to become friends and celebrate, they become heroes, eagles, kings, on a Wedneday, October 2010, Beauty was born out of tragedy, just like the legend of the phoenix.

This is why I love this planet, its inhabitants and life. There are so many positives out there to find.
The Chilean president will not rest until the last superhero is rescued. Place your bets on who will get to the surface in the quickest amount time.

Think of the families, who are just living, with all their heart and breath and soul to see their loved ones again, day after day waiting. A friend, a father, a lover, a joker, a carer, gone for so long, with no certainty that they would be coming back, waiting. Until. Pop like a bursting cork from a bottle of champagne, joyous reunion all is well. There men are alive.

Imagine the ladies, thoughts, wives, mothers, why is my man 29th in line to be rescued. Why isn’t he out of the tunnel yet, each creak of the cable, each turn of the wheel a new stab of worry, what if the cable snaps, what if the rocks fall, what if, what if my man is the only one that gets left behind, that is knife edge living. Tough thoughts, worried minds.
A hand rubbing on a back. Comfort. Rubbing shoulders. Tender care. Touching, good human contact, warm, safe. Positive vibrations. A torch. Out pops the capsule again, rusty, like its been journeying back and forth through space for ages, it has. It looks like its been built out of spare parts from some sort of rocket ship jumble sale. Thats why to my eyes the phoenix is so beautiful. It shines more for its dents and scars. Tears of joy. Super stars in shades. Big smiles all round. Top bananas. From darkness into family, such light. Welcome back, welcome home. Back to Earth, back to reality. Bed, cosy bed. What’s the first things the miners do. Hug. Embrace. This is such a delightful cotton precious news story. Pure good news. A brilliant moment in Earth history. Set the captives free. I suddenly think. In the future will there be a – experience being trapped in the San Jose mine, adventure holiday, will Big Brother Uk, make a come back coming live from the centre of the earth.

The miners probably had no idea when they went off to mine, that they would be bringing up to the surface of the earth far more than copper, that they would be bringing back the greatest gift of all, each of their own life’s, for their families.

In returning they produced more sparkle and shine in their nearest and dearest smiles, eyes and faces, and indeed sparkles and warm tingles for people all other the world that they might not have or may never meet. Wow. These emotions are worth so much more than all the mineral ore in that mine.

To anyone that lit a candle for the miners. And kept a candle burning under the stars. Twinkle twinkle for all the time these fellow members of the species were trapped in the dark. When finally the last miner is set free. The last hero returns. You blow that candle out, using the air escaping out from between your pursed lips, to snuff the flickering flame and create a heady scented waft of smoke. I want you to know that you too, beautiful human being, played a part in helping this band of brothers, flying hellfish, to return from their mission, stand tall, be proud, a baby called hope has been born, you can see it in the smiling Chilean faces, the star upon their flag, giant steps are what we are walking on this moon
Embraces and hugs, great job all round. The waiting nervous and excited, before party time. So close. Baloons. The big moon. Music. Smoke. Halfway there. Windy silence. Waiting. Hope gurgles. Eyes on the mine. 100 metres to go. Chi chi lay lay lay. Fists punching up to the sky. Excited. No rush. Jimmy Sanchez wins the wooden spoon for speed. An extra un-ordinary moment. Let those party sparking glimmers live long, in our bright eyes. Noise. Loud celebration. Colours glowing. Chi chi lay lay lay. The phoenix has landed.

Music
The Police
Walking on the moon.