el viaje guano

the most tricky scoundrels
with soaring trees and deep bogs
loam peat clay sand
animalia prokaryota
breathing
the slim skin.
we etch tattoo and seal
scratch bleach and scar
girdling
scattering salve
a whirling doctor
haunted by raspy echoing
that brings no rain
pero tal vez olor amoniaco

compton street at sunrise
(the fertilizer industry was pioneered in federal hill—the first shipment of guano from peru arrived in 1832)

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