The Death of Columbus if the Americas Never Existed

We said, "East,"
and he said, "West."

The ship sailed on from test to test.
We drank rat's blood,
and ate the rest;

we said, "East,"
and he said, "West."

The scurvy claimed
our hearty best,

so we said, "East,"
and he said, "West."

We gnashed our teeth;
I beat my breast

when we said, "East,"
and he said, "West."

And so we stabbed him through the chest.
And we went east (he floated west).

[1997]