Camazot's Ballgame, and: Birth Name Unknown

Abstract

Camazot's Ballgame, and: Birth Name Unknown Alejandra Cabezas (bio) Camazot's Ballgame My mother held a cross and prayed, "please, stop exceeding your flesh." Little does she know every night I make myself a nothing — cut off my breasts, and squeeze what's left into a blowgun. There, I wait — my sight split between bats and the Age of the First Sun. I know my fate is sealed. Having no twin brother, I myself, will set sight on Xibalba. But the men will have me before death. And what better way to spend the rest of my days? A plaything for the gods, they call themselves. [End Page 14] Birth Name Unknown One would think I'm made by men. Conjurers, the devils in their minds. The lusty ones are all the better artists for that. Couldn't carve a piece of wood if I asked them to. They love to paint pictures no one else will see. Maybe they believe their own tales. They'd have you think the spirits wait for them. As though we have nothing to discuss amongst ourselves. Them, when we're angry, of course. But I've taught my daughters to walk around naked when the moon is full. It's good for their skin and temperance. I was never very good at holding back. Carved my own wrinkles trying to make myself an ugly thing. A thing that lasts. From the way men speak of me. You'd think me godlike. [End Page 15] Alejandra Cabezas Alejandra Cabezas is a poet and scholar from Antiguo Cuscatlan, El Salvador. Her work deals with family histories, the Mayan cosmovision, and movements across Mesoamerica. She currently resides in Amsterdam, where she is receiving a Master of Arts in Museums and Heritage. Copyright © 2022-2023 Pleiades and Pleiades Press