a pretty slave

after Hai Nan

I follow tracks and the lay of the land
cool my arms with irremediable emptiness
slave, slave, while drinking water I see a pretty slave

Slave : Dirge

my homeland
is not my homeland

when i return
I see it all for what it is

I see myself—
              and them
for what they are.

Natasha Marin, Seattle

Hai Nan, “A Pretty Slave,” in Two Southwests. Virtual Artists Collective, 2008. ISBN 9780979882562.