<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div id="poem-top" class="tab-content active" style="display: block; "><h1 style="font: normal normal normal 24px/normal Georgia; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood on the Wheel</font></h1></div><span class="author" style="text-transform: uppercase; display: block; letter-spacing: 0.05em; "><br></span><div id="poem" class="tab-content active" style="display: block; "><div class="poem" style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Georgia; margin-top: 25px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><p class="epigraph" style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Georgia; line-height: 24px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-left: 25px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><i> Ezekiel saw the wheel,<br> way up in the middle of the air.</i><br><span> </span><span class="uppercase">TRADITIONAL GOSPEL SONG</span></font></p><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood on the night soil man en route to the country prison</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood on the sullen chair, the one that holds you with its pleasure</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood inside the quartz, the beauty watch, the eye of the guard</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood on the slope of names & the tattoos hidden</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood on the Virgin, behind the veils,</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Behind—in the moon angel's gold oracle hair</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> What blood is this, is it the blood of the worker rat?</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> Is it the blood of the clone governor, the city maid?</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> Why does it course in s's & z's?</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood on the couch, made for viewing automobiles & face cream</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood on the pin, this one going through you without any pain</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood on the screen, the green torso queen of slavering hearts</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood on the grandmother's wish, her tawdry stick of Texas</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood on the daughter's breast who sews roses</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood on the father, does anyone remember him, bluish?</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> Blood from a kitchen fresco, in thick amber strokes</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> Blood from the baby's right ear, from his ochre nose</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> What blood is this?</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood on the fender, in the sender's shoe, in his liquor sack</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood on the street, call it Milagro Boulevard, Mercy Lanes #9</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood on the alien, in the alligator jacket teen boy Juan</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> There is blood, there, he says</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> Blood here too, down here, she says</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> Only blood, the Blood Mother sings</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood driving miniature American queens stamped into rage</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood driving rappers in Mercedes blackened & whitened in news</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood driving the snare-eyed professor searching for her panties</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood driving the championship husband bent in Extreme Unction</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> Blood of the orphan weasel in heat, the Calvinist farmer in wheat</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> Blood of the lettuce rebellion on the rise, the cannery worker's prize</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood of the painted donkey forced into prostitute zebra,</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood of the Tijuana tourist finally awake & forced into pimp sleep again</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">It is blood time, Sir Terminator says,</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">It is blood time, Sir Simpson winks,</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">It is blood time, Sir McVeigh weighs.</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> Her nuclear blood watch soaked, will it dry?</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> His whitish blood ring smoked, will it foam?</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> My groin blood leather roped, will it marry?</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> My wife's peasant blood spoked, will it ride again?</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood in the tin, in the coffee bean, in the maquila oración</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood in the language, in the wise text of the market sausage</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood in the border web, the penal colony shed, in the bilingual yard</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> Crow blood blues perched on nothingness again</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> fly over my field, yellow-green & opal</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> Dog blood crawl & swish through my sheets</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Who will eat this speckled corn?</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Who shall be born on this Wednesday war bed?</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood in the acid theater, again, in the box office smash hit</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood in the Corvette tank, in the crack talk crank below</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood boat Navy blood glove Army ventricle Marines</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">in the cookie sex jar, camouflaged rape whalers</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Roam & rumble, investigate my Mexican hoodlum blood</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> Tiny blood behind my Cuban ear, wine colored & hushed</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> Tiny blood in the death row tool, in the middle-aged corset</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> Tiny blood sampler, tiny blood, you hush up again, so tiny</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood in the Groove Shopping Center,</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">In blue Appalachia river, in Detroit harness spleen</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood in the Groove Virus machine,</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">In low ocean tide, in Iowa soy bean</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood in the Groove Lynch mob orchestra,</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">South of Herzegovina, south, I said</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood marching for the Immigration Patrol, prized & arrogant</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood spawning in the dawn break of African Blood Tribes, grimacing</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">& multiple—multiple, I said</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood on the Macho Hat, the one used for proper genuflections</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood on the faithful knee, the one readied for erotic negation</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood on the willing nerve terminal, the one open for suicide</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood at the age of seventeen</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood at the age of one, dumped in a Greyhound bus</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">Blood mute & autistic & cauterized & smuggled Mayan</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3">& burned in border smelter tar</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> Could this be yours? Could this item belong to you?</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> Could this ticket be what you ordered, could it?</font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> Blood on the wheel, blood on the reel</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"> Bronze dead gold & diamond deep. Blood be fast.</font></div><div style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><br></font></span></div><div style="text-indent: -1em; padding-left: 1em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>- Juan Felipe Herrera</font></div></div></div></body></html>