Thursday, January 15, 2009

Cleaving argentina



Evita Mon Amour

"Please don't—
mention Evita."
—Martinbeck

yes, i know—my dear martin.

so many evitas—imeldas and eva brauns…

so many filthy demagogues—who taught their party…

to thrive on *clientelismo*—and robbery...

but what’s new—my argentine friend?

my buenos aires—literary confidant?

peronnismo has been around—for a long time now

ask them—the disappeared ones…

the ones drugged—& thrown from helicopters…

after they fled to—the church for help…

the children of allende—pinochet’s minions…

ask saramago—that portuguese troublemaker…

ask ricardo reis—and his shadow pessoa…

ask carpentier—borges & arenas…

ask lorca—puig the spider woman…
so many writers—so little time…

even if we could—what would we ask them?

why katrina—was harbinger of things to come?

why new orleans—the most latino of usa cities?

why the hurricane—and downfall of the big easy?

setting the example—of what was to come?

the third worldization—of not just new orleans...

but the neocon globalization—of the whole planet?

are we not now—all exiles of elba?

even as we foolishly—look back?

evita—mon amour?

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