on earth without maps.

I'm afraid I waste the light on the

paintings and on writing these words.

We die. We die rich with lovers and

tribes, tastes we have swallowed,

bodies we have entered and swum up

like rivers, fears we have hidden in

like this wretched cave.

I want all this marked on my body.

We are the real countries, not the

boundaries drawn on maps with the

names of powerful men.

I know you will come and carry me

out into the palace of winds, the rumors

of water. That's all I've wanted -

to walk in such a place with you,

with friends,

on earth without maps.

-Michael Ondaatje-

The English Patient