Transportation
Distance to a camel
is but one form
of memory
like the weight of aviaries
dead lakes
cities without roads—.
Distance to the mule is work;
for the horse it’s a kind
of detachment.
Bulls use distance
to careen and lash.
For a gun it is an instant;
for the spider, crude conversion.
To a tree, it’s a system
of thought approaching
language—
(Chapter 3, Section III)
Reconnaissance and Security
to uncover an enemy
in the field set the field
on fire follow
the sound the
rapture follow
false maps
cities over-
run by feral dogs
keep the exit close
but keep your rifle
closer
(Chapter 6, Section VII)
From the Author: “Transportation” and “Reconnaisance and Security” are both from a larger erasure project, which uses The U.S. Marine Corps Small Wars Manual as its source.
Chris Santiago is the author of Tula, selected by A. Van Jordan as the winner of the 2016 Lindquist & Vennum Prize for Poetry and published by Milkweed Editions. He’s received fellowships from the McKnight Foundation, Kundiman, and the Mellon Foundation/American Council of Learned Societies, and was a finalist for the 2017 Minnesota Book Award. He teaches creative writing and Asian American literature at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.
