Keller, Gary D

English

Biblioteca Digital de la Universidad de Alcalá

Thirteen Ways to Capture Our Quetzal in Good Faith
GARY D. KELLER
I
In the beginning Xochiquetzal
and Quetzalcóatl coupled
and brought forth the wind,
war and ire, the florid war
poetry and our banished godpoet
looking back from his raft of seaserpents
II
The quetzal is our go-between
a god, a goddess, a guardian
It is our conserver’s cause,
it is our uncaused causer
III
When the quetzal draws down from heaven
his erect tailfeather marks our spot
When it crosses our country
a wavy tailfeather mimicks acqua and life
CAMINO REAL 1:0 (2009): 31-34
Gary D. Keller is Professor and Director of the Hispanic Research Center at Arizona State University.
31
CAMINO REAL
32
IV
At first our quetzal was as pure green
as blue mountain water
Then Tecún Umán fell to the Spanish scourge
The godbird lit upon our warrior’s wound 
and his breast became crimson
V
O visionary poets of Aztlán
Why do you conjure Firebird and Phoenix?
Our twin-gendered quetzal beckons you
return to amatl and sculpted stone.
VI
A man and a woman
Are one
A man, a woman, a plumed serpent
Are one
VII
Tres quetzales roost apart in an aguacatillo tree
She chooses one and sets the other free
¡Let it be me! ¡Let it be me!
VIII
I was of three minds
like the corona of a tree
GARY D. KELLER
33
in which are perched two machos
and our hembra arbiter
IX
I do not know which to prefer,
the majesty of direction
or the beauty of indirection
The resplendent male plunging from on high
or our feathered flower goddess proving fertility
X
In the swaying misty cloudforest
the only still solidary life
is our carefully concealed quetzal
XI
The macho is in our nest
Parenting the brood
his outsized virile tailfeather
turned upon itself
XII
It was drizzling in the forest
It was going to drizzle
The quetzal eyed me warily
the tiniest lizard firmly in beak
He set forth to a higher nest
to nourish our young
CAMINO REAL
34
XIII
There is no thirteenth way
The sin of bad faith
is that it is faith
There is no caging our quetzal
He knows there is no justice
except poetic justice


Thirteen ways to capture our Quetzal in good faith

e_Buah - Biblioteca Digital de la Universidad de Alcalá

Thirteen Ways to Capture Our Quetzal in Good FaithGARY D. KELLERIIn the beginning Xochiquetzaland Quetzalcóatl coupledand brought forth the wind,war and ire, the florid warpoetry and our banished godpoetlooking back from his raft of seaserpentsIIThe quetzal is our go-betweena god, a goddess, a guardianIt is our conserver’s cause,it is our uncaused causerIIIWhen the quetzal draws down from heavenhis erect tailfeather marks our spotWhen it crosses our countrya wavy tailfeather mimicks acqua and lifeCAMINO REAL 1:0 (2009): 31-34Gary D. Keller is Professor and Director of the Hispanic Research Center at Arizona State University.31CAMINO REAL32IVAt first our quetzal was as pure greenas blue mountain waterThen Tecún Umán fell to the Spanish scourgeThe godbird lit upon our warrior’s wound and his breast became crimsonVO visionary poets of AztlánWhy do you conjure Firebird and Phoenix?Our twin-gendered quetzal beckons youreturn to amatl and sculpted stone.VIA man and a womanAre oneA man, a woman, a plumed serpentAre oneVIITres quetzales roost apart in an aguacatillo treeShe chooses one and sets the other free¡Let it be me! ¡Let it be me!VIIII was of three mindslike the corona of a treeGARY D. KELLER33in which are perched two machosand our hembra arbiterIXI do not know which to prefer,the majesty of directionor the beauty of indirectionThe resplendent male plunging from on highor our feathered flower goddess proving fertilityXIn the swaying misty cloudforestthe only still solidary lifeis our carefully concealed quetzalXIThe macho is in our nestParenting the broodhis outsized virile tailfeatherturned upon itselfXIIIt was drizzling in the forestIt was going to drizzleThe quetzal eyed me warilythe tiniest lizard firmly in beakHe set forth to a higher nestto nourish our youngCAMINO REAL34XIIIThere is no thirteenth wayThe sin of bad faithis that it is faithThere is no caging our quetzalHe knows there is no justiceexcept poetic justice

http://dspace.uah.es/dspace/bitstream/handle/10017/8297/thirteen_keller_CR_2009.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Thirteen ways to capture our Quetzal in good faith

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