Peru
23 June 2013
SeaTac
- too A.M. early
- waiting in the airline line
- for pre-check check-in
Flight
- cruising altitude
- cumulus below billow
- imagined maps
Place
- where’s one’s sense of place
- dark and hurtling t’ward Peru
- reading lights out
24 June 2013
Gate 7, Lima
- asleep on benches
- waiting for a flight
- over the Andes
Over the Andes
- flight to Cuzco
- dawn over the Andes
- looks like an ocean
25 June 2013
Below the Temple of the Sun
- stone piled upon stones
- terrace stacked above terrace
- mountain on mountain
Climb, Ollantaytambo
- we walk to the ruins
- hours before the tour buses
- pay the ticket price
- climb up to the top
- to the temple of the sun
- lifting feet not stones
Temple of the Sun
- temple of the sun
- past temple of ten niches
- I rub my temple
Shadows, Plaza in Ollantaytambo
- small black dog sleeping
- below the steps where we rest
- shadows and shadow
Stretching
- small black dog stretching
- in the sun on the plaza
- his shadow by mine
26 June 2013
Train to Machu Picchu
- rocking on the train
- backyards below brown mountains
- and snow-capped peaks
- colorful altar
- at the edge of a field
- catching the dawn light
Train to Machu Picchu
- skylights on the coach
- let us see the mountain tops
- above the Urubamba
- white water rushes over
- large boulders below
- white snow on mountains
- above the valley sides
Machu Picchu
- a city of stone
- granite blocks perched on mountains
- above heaven’s clouds
Coordination
- llamas graze green grass
- blue birds, gray stones, blue valleys
- purple slopes—all match
Carving
- walls, doors, and windows
- stone fitted closely to stone
- sunlight carves shadows
Machu Picchu
- stone piled upon stones
- building stacked above building
- mountain on mountain
27 June 2013, Ollantaytambo
Plaza de Armas
- dead tree mid plaza
- restaurants and shops compete
- ancient stones complete
Cobblestone Alley
- cobblestone alley
- Spanish over Incan stones
- stream in the center
Moon in Ollantaytambo
- moon in Peru sets
- southeast behind mountain crag
- in early evening
29 June 2013, Cuzco
Shines
- Shoes shined for a sol
- señor? Your boots are not right.
- No? Maybe later.
For Sale in the Square
- little llamas, dolls
- salted beans, key chains, shoe shines
- No? Maybe later.
For Sale in the Square
- juice in plastic cups
- pen and ink portfolio
- for sale in the square
Last Supper
- in La Catedral
- a huge painting with Jesus
- serving guinea pig
Three Old Men on a Bench
- three men in the heat
- in business suits, ties, and hats
- one talks excitedly
Mercado San Pedro
- small and cluttered stalls
- for pigs’ heads, corn, wooden spoons
- for seaweed, beans, wilting greens
- for purses, sweaters, hats, belts
- for sausage coiled and air-cooled
- for seamstresses with Singers
- for fruits and juices, fresh-squeezed
- for stone pumas, cheap bracelets
- for pisco in penis pots
- for frogs floating in a tub
- one stall per keeper