CÉU E INFERNO  (tempo aprox. de leitura: 3,5 min.)

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Há cerca de quinze anos, quando era Imediato de um conteineiro, recebi um e-mail privado do embarcador da empresa.

O embarcador, na época, era meu cunhado, um Chefe de Máquinas da empresa que aceitou a “promoção” de trabalhar em terra.

O e-mail era uma provocação; um poema anônimo que ele havia achado e que comparava a vida a bordo de um Chefe de Máquinas e de um Imediato.

O poema era o seguinte:

“The engineer and the mate

Oil soaked shoes all covered with grime;

Polished shoes with a brilliant shine,

Sweated clothes all stained with grease;

Shirt and tie and pants well creased,

Oily scarred and calloused hands

Manicured fingers, looking grand.

Thus they approached the pearly gates,

The Engineer and the Mate.

Saint Peter gazed at this strange sight;

He knew one was wrong, the other was right,

To be sure, he then did look

In his gigantic secret judgment book

Then looking up he said so clear

I’ll now pass judgment on the Engineer.

You’ve sweated blood, you breathed some gas

The scars and bruises and burns still last.

So come my son and take your place

Like a king, in all his grace.

My son you’ve stood it very well –

You’ve surely had your share of hell.

The Engineer passed through the gates;

Saint Peter then turned unto the Mate.

You’ve filled your lungs with cool clean air;

You’ve known the breezes and the sun up there,

Pushing a pencil, you’ve traveled in class;

You’ve been a passenger before the mast.

There isn’t a question, yes or no –

Now it’s your turn to go below!!

(Unknown author)”

Não sei se ele esperava que eu respondesse à provocação, mas não me contive e decidi “complementar” os versos recebidos, aproveitando para cutucar a gerência, Maquinista também:

“… And the Devil looking this brand new member in the Hades

Recognizes the type and the sin: another Mate among Mates!

Another Saint Peter’s joke and mistake without chance;

Another punishment and judgment at the first glance.

You don’t belong to Hell yet, good-looking man!

Return to your ship, company and purgatory if you can!

Go and suffer more discrimination in former Engineers’ hands and eyes;

Blinds who only see as real work the dirty work and for that… my allies!!

(Leonardo Seixas (not an unknown author))”

Meu respeito aos embarcados, de Máquinas e Convés.

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Leonardo Seixas (Diretor de Marketing)