Twenty Years of “Nobility of Blood”
by Sergio Ortiz
sobre todo perdona a la mayoría moral, intachable y serena
que aún ignora la dulce cortadura de tu espada de carne….
Jose Manuel Otero 1948-1990
Dear Lord, this Thanksgiving
all the drug-lords promise
to thank you for AIDS, although
it has not made them transcend
into the 21st century. They are
still caught up in superficial
things like politics, and busting,
or killing corrupt cops. We thank you
for tent evangelists, brothers and sisters
alike, breeders of hate crimes
that reject the perfect beauty
of botany almanacs, homemade
remedies, and blood transfusions.
Lord, forgive my arrogance
toward the medical community
and appoint faith healers
to pharmaceuticals. Dear God,
I’ve been patient, showing up alone
at ERs and not suing. Thank you
for allowing me to live on the
periphery of society where nobody asks
yet everybody tells. Did we merit
your colossal tedium? Thank you
for the innocent illusion of my open
exhibitions of affection toward Omar.
Thank you for the rapid spread
of AIDS in Africa, where water, food,
and medical supplies have always
been scarce or costly, where rape
and violence toward women
are beyond control, where children
have no choice but to fight for
dexterous warlords, where life
and death no longer belong to You.
Somalia, have you learned to die?