A. Robert Lee - Americas - Selected Verse and Vignette

the north-south entertainment street and bridge of Earl Granville

the east-west genteel and skid row street of Admiral Hastings

the merchant trader suburb of Simon Frazer

the hill and ridge township of Speaker Robert Burnaby

and the Queen of Canada Victoria Island (with Albert thrown in)

Not to say moreover that

the nomination

of Richmond and New Westminster

Seymour Creek and Port Moody

Surrey and White Rock

joins almost of necessity

English Bay

Not to say moreover that

the nomination of

Pember Street Chinese Vancouver

joins Downtown Eastside Italian Vancouver

Powell Street Little Tokyo Vancouver

East Vancouver Irish céili Vancouver

Not to say moreover that

the nomination

of Black, Hispanic, Jewish

joins Gay Vancouver

Not to say moreover that

the nomination

of Globe and Mail Vancouver

joins snow and rink Olympic Vancouver

Not to say moreover that

the nomination

of Joy Kogawa and Wayson Choy

joins Genni Gunn and William Gibson

and William H. New

Vancouver

Yet fly into Vancouver International

and meet history’s other necessary

nomination of Vancouver

at the hands of Bill Reid’s

thirteen-messenger

jade canoe

Spirit of Haida Gwaii

A daedal boat

to nominate First Nation

and yet all later nation Vancouver

Pre- Air Canada

busy paddle wielders

beast and bird

boat and beings

each says Reid

“forever anchored in the same place”

Boat companions

under shaman ark magic

the nominated signatures of

steersman Raven

soaring Eagle

fierce Grizzly Bear

protector Mother Bear

water Dogfish Woman

rodent Mouse Woman

questing Wolf

bulge-eyed Frog

ancestral Haida Chief Kilstaai

patrolling Killer Whale

and of a one human being

Best expatriate city in the world

say 2010’s prize-givers

Best nominated Greater Vancouver

says the arriving passenger

Best myth and spirit city

says Reid’s sculpted world canoe

Mexican Compass

A compass of US west --

San Diego

Coronado

Mission Viejo

Oceanside

Imperial Valley

Mexicali

A compass of Mexico west --

Peninsula de Baja California

Tijuana

Ensenada

La Bufadora

San Carlos

Punto Santo Tomás

A compass of histories --

Cabrillo and Drake

Alta California, Baja California

1821 Mexico, 1846 California

Santa Anna, Polk

Guadalupe-Hidalgo

A compass of language --

indigenista, español, inglés, estadounidense

californio/a

chicano/a

la frontera

spanglish

A compass of documentation --

bracero

Undocumented

la migra

My own foreign visitor visa

A compass of day-out lunch --

tortilla y salsa

buñuelos

ensalada mixta

pescado a la veracruzana

polvorones de canele

nicuatole

cerveza Dos Equis

A compass of death --

la tienda de esqueletos

for sale and sold

three skeleton-figurines

the women flamenco-elegant

in long dress, flower at hip and cigar smoking

Diego Rivera-Frida Kahlo vivid

the man eye-socketed

in broad-brimmed hat

cutaway coat

un hidalgo

Each a skull and body

with square teeth bared

with el día de los muertos

vampire smile

A compass of life

¿Usted es de Inglaterra?

asked the owner

as he switched on a Beatles track

and spoke passionately of his

love for the English Premier League

Me encanta Manchester United

Compasses of life

Compasses of death

Compasses of life

PORTRAIT AND LANDSCAPE: FURTHER GEOGRAPHIES

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