Tenerife
how should we address
this uncomfortable history
because there is no such thing
as alternative facts
there is just
the truth
just
men slaughtered
women parceled out
children enslaved
by the grandfather[1]
of my great great
great great great great
great great great great
great great grandfather[2]
who laughed as he told him how
he had tricked the Guanches into slavery
by inviting them onboard
and then sailing away
and my great great
great great great great
great great great great
great great grandfather
set out on the waves to find
his own New Spain
and his own Guanches
to trick
but instead he found
disaster shipwreck death nakedness hunger
and for one year the Capoque
made a slave of him
but for seven more
the Chorruco made
more of him
than ever had Spain
captive trader healer woman human
so that when at last he left them
he knew
that all he had learned across the water
must be cast away
except what
he learned in his mother’s arms
and so that when at last he left them
he thought of his grandfather’s story
and rearranging
the pictures of his childhood
as a child turns his kaleidoscope
he saw the Guanche[3] slaves anew
and as though he were one of them
he saw his grandfather
through the eyes of his slaves
and remembered
how his grandfather had
Invited them onboard
but he no longer
felt
like laughing
[1] “Pedro de Vera,” Wikipedia as found at https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_de_Vera Last updated on July 29, 2022
[2] “Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca” Wikipedia as found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvar_Nunez_Cabeza_de_Vaca Last updated September 8, 2022
[3] “Guanches,” Club Canary November 8, 2019 as found at https://clubcanary.com/tenerife-blog-guanches/ Last updated on April 13, 2022