July 7, 2025

the history in Greece
feels
all around us

integrated into life
and tourist traps
and commonplace landmarks

[though i still stand in awe
at archaeological experiences,
no matter what culture is being shown]

December 20, 2024

bury me in my most beloved outfit
of the day
but make sure i have something
extra
in case the next day
is a different gender
or vibe
[i wouldn’t want to be misgendered
in the afterlife
or by the tiny larvae
exploding through my skin
eating me from the inside]
i can’t wait to be
a few slivers of fabric
and mostly bones
and maybe someone will figure out how to tattoo on my ribcage
‘nonbinary’
so every archaeologist will know
to make no assumptions
from my skeleton’s makeup
just vibe with the tiniest microorganisms
that i brought with me
daily
and i’ll try to explain
to st. peter
or hades
or whomever i have to
what being ‘gender chaotic’ really means
and hopefully
after i’ve shuffled off this mortal coil
and no longer have to adhere to a physical form
i can be what i’ve always thought of myself
internally

May 21

Intiwasi
Intikancha

Qorikancha
Qoricancha
Koricancha
Coricancha

Church of Santo Domingo
Convent of Santo Domingo
Cathedral

from house of gold
to worship house of the conquerors

does building a church on top of a (demolished) church
make a place more or less sacred?

May 19/20 (part 2)

my other musings
on Machu Picchu
paint a picture
that may not be entirely accurate

i loved the stones
and the vastness
and the hike
and the mountains

i took hundreds of photographs
i smiled as i touched stones
stones that were put together so many years ago

houses that people lived in

and my brain began to wander

will there be a residence of mine
that will end up an archaeological site

will future generations walk the train tracks
the way they devoutly follow the IncaTrail,
still on their way to see ancient Machu Picchu

can it last, with the number of tourists
increasing every day?

(i wanted to sit and absorb the history
the spirituality
but my sunburn was getting worse
and the other people felt too close
and centuries away,

so we left and ate amazing food
and i pined for Machu Picchu
as our train followed those tracks
away)

May 15

no photos, respect the dead
but they are on display

give a donation, place a sol coin above the glass enclosure
they’ve called home since being dug up

but i could be in this room for hours

the archaeologist inside tearing out of me from my eyes

feasting on the leathery look of preserved skin

noticing where hair is still visible, stuck to the skull

counting the exposed tendons from toe knuckle to nail

and I want to know more
and feel more
and taste…

i am not a professional archaeologist

but for a moment in that room i could almost feel
what might have been