Bob McCord (Costa Rica 1986-88) Poem "NEMO"

[This poem, “Nemo” by Bob McCord (Costa Rica 1986-88) appeared in April 1990, (Volume 2, Number 2) issue of RPCV Writers. Bob wrote me that the poem was written on Sunday, March 13, 1988 in Liberia de Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Shortly after sending me this poem, Bob took a three month position with the National Marine Fisheries Service as an observer. On the night of March 22, 1990, the boat that he was on capsized in the Bering Sea. He was one of nine men lost. ]

NEMO

I want to live like Nemo
Walk my donkey on knife’s edge
Pounded corn cakes, the host of
dawn
Bear greased hair, sage mane
A stone razor, agate eyes

I want to live in a cave
Breathe the ancestral air
Cook fossil pollen for breakfast
Chip away my history in rock
Gather cold blue, moonless stars

I want to dance for rain
Waltz for a deep winter harvest
Drive a pointed stick through sky
Cache the fever dreams of fast
Leave not a trace of truth

I want to be a desert
Lonely and full of life
Eyes of water that never dry
A pile of bones frame dusk
The howl of blood greets everyday

I want to do it without hooks
Fish the stream with charcoal bait
Hunt with a cliff
Hurl my voice at the echo wall
Retrieve my tools and retreat

I want to live like Nemo
Leave my mark forever in rock
Chipped of solitude and peace
I will go with the ghosts
I have come to find.

Bob McCord (Costa Rica 1986-88)