Signs of Teotihuacan 
 

Like the triumphant march of an unvanquished army, 
The wise expect things to repeat themselves. 
Note the signs of Teotihuacan among the remains-- 
Olmec traces in boulder relief. 


Pitiless young men circulate on the periphery 
of power. Where forest, 
wasted by tropical rains, had 
Shaken loose and slide into the valley below 
The ceremony continued 
Settling the banks of Pasion River. 
Resources diminished. 
Standards of assistance went down. 


The otherwise featureless horizon of the far 
Was overwhelming. 
Possessed with the need to understand the world, 
Theological questions kept cropping up, 
As we did our day's work. 


Porous limestone underneath 
A horror too profound for speech, 
The wise expected events to repeat themselves. 


Air heavy with the scent of tea, there was 
One dependable constant: salt. 



Denise Collins