The Eyes of Our Jaguar God

Another from Lowenfels out of Some Deaths (1964).

From the Mayan Book of Chilam Balam

In the beginning there was no sin; we adhered
     to the dictates of reason.  There was then
     no sickness, no aching bones, no high fevers,
     no smallpox, no burning chests,
     no abdominal pains, no consumption.  We had
     then no headaches; the course of humanity
     was orderly.  The foreigners made it
     otherwise when they arrived here.

With the false god, the false word, came the
     beginning of our misery, the beginning
     of strife with purse-snatching, the
     beginning of strife with blow guns,
     the beginning of strife by trampling
     on people, the beginning of robbery
     with violence, the beginning of forced debts.

We were the very poor people who did not
     depart when oppression was put on them.
     It was done by the kinkajous of the
     towns, the foxes of the towns, the
     bloodsucking insects of the towns--
     those who drained the poverty of the
     working people.

But it shall come to pass that tears
     shall become the eyes of our jaguar
     God.  His justice shall descend upon
     every part of the earth, straight upon
     Ah Kanteria and Ix Pucyola, the
     voracious hagglers of the world.

The Great Peace

A poem by Walter Lowenfels.  Never heard of him, right?  A pity for all of us, really.

This was printed in the collection Some Deaths, published by Jonathan Williams as Issue #32 of Jargon.

The Great Peace
(from the Amerindian)

What is more beautiful
       than the land that has no grave
             because there is no fear,
where bravery doesn't bleed
             because there is no enemy,

where warriors of the Hundred and One Nations
       uproot the tallest pine tree
and in the hole that's left
       drop their bombs and guns,

deep in the underearth,
       throw all their weapons,
and plant again the tree.  Then
       when the Great Peace is won

we will find the land
       where truth is without a name
because there is no lie
       where charity has no home;
because there is no hunger;
       where nobody is an Unknown
Hero any more,
       and no one is a seer--
because the light of wisdom
        is everywhere.