Nature Armed Medicine

Abstract

Nature Armed Medicine Vickie Vértiz (bio) An erasure of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, 1848 And furthermore what cannot be a citizen is greatand godly andI am aware of what cannot be a bodynor do I want one Nature armed medicineand did not make republicsnor designated gender, nor property Governments reasoned, slippedbehind previous gods to collect regretA gathering of claimants—our rights'sacredness betrays us Every day he tries to turn occupation into limbsto drown usbut you and I have matches in ourpockets, unending remedies—a lovewhich implores our bodies to restto fight I annulled your friendshipand instead—gleaned from blood—I drewa Guadalupe faith of impractical limits My tongue's seed burstsa sea of jasmine buds, thick leaves in every valley—Iblow a concha shell and mountains flowersnakes and instead—gleaned from blood—I give loveI make no more maps [End Page 87] Vickie Vértiz vickie vértiz is a writer from Bell Gardens. The oldest child of Mexican immigrants, she has been published in the New York Times Magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle. Her book Palm Frond with Its Throat Cut won the 2018 PEN America prize in poetry. A recipient of fellowships from the Mellon Foundation, VONA, CantoMundo, and Macondo, Vértiz teaches at UC Santa Barbara. * Copyright © 2020 University of North Carolina Wilmington