Bruce Weigl

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 like

who I am.

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,

so don’t tread there; don’t be anything.

Author: Bruce Weigl

Bruce Weigl’s newest book, The Abundance of Nothing: Poems, will be published in 2012 by Triquarterly. He has received the Robert Creeley Award, The Lannan Literary Award for Poetry, and The Poet’s Prize from The Academy of American Poets. His work Song of Napalm has been in print continually since 1998 and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. He has written several collections of critical essays and translated Vietnamese and Romanian poetry.

Translation: Bruce Weigl

Plume: Issue #12 April 2012