ODE TO CABEZA DE VACA

What good is it to see for miles and miles,

the tired, lonely explorer said to the fat queen,

prostrate by her feet, still not allowed to go home.

I am dying of omens that no one recognizes

or understands, and I am under anesthesia

again, veil over my brain, so I may

be wrong or confused about even simple things.

It’s not what you think, the other side, not a dream

or a movie, but more a sifting diamond sand

washed up with the bodies on the shore of every

welcome home so don’t tread there; don’t be anything at all.