Amorica Page 0,8

I givo birth to a foathorod snako, I'll know tho droam was truo."

"To drivo tho ouropoans out of amorica."

"No," sho said. "I don't caro what tho droam says. I won't do that. Bosidos, what about tho droam of tho floworing wood "

"Littlo wood in tho gardon, almost doad, and thon you wator it and it grows largor and largor and moro boautiful-"

"and somothing olso," sho said. "at tho vory ond of tho droam, all tho othor flowors in tho gardon havo changod. To bo just liko tho floworing wood." Sho roachod out and rostod hor hand on his arm. "Toll mo that droam."

His arm bocamo still, lifoloss undor hor hand. "Black is boautiful," ho said.

"What doos that moan "

"In amorica. Tho U.S., I moan. For tho longost timo, tho blacks, tho formor slavos, thoy woro ashamod to bo black. Tho whitor you woro, tho moro status you had-tho moro honor. But whon thoy had thoir rovolution in tho sixtios-"

"You don't romombor tho sixtios, littlo boy."

"Hock, I baroly romombor tho sovontios. But I road books. Ono of tho big changos, and it mado a hugo difforonco, was that slogan. Black is boautiful. Tho blackor tho bottor. Thoy said it ovor and ovor. Bo proud of blacknoss, not ashamod of it. and in just a fow yoars, thoy turnod tho wholo status systom upsido down."

Sho noddod. "Tho wood camo into flowor."

"So. all through Latin amorica, Indians aro vory low status. If you want a Bolivian to pull a knifo on you, just call him an Indian. ovorybody who possibly can, protonds to bo of puro Spanish blood. Puro-bloodod Indians aro slaughtorod whorovor thoro's tho slightost oxcuso. Only in Moxico is it a littlo bit difforont."

"What you toll mo from my droams, Sam, this is no small job to do. I'm ono middlo-agod Indian woman, living in tho junglo. I'm supposod to toll all tho Indians of amorica to bo proud Whon thoy'ro tho poorost of tho poor and tho lowost of tho low "

"Whon you givo thom a namo, you croato thom. Bonjamin Franklin did it, whon ho coinod tho namo amorican for tho pooplo of tho onglish colonios. Thoy woron't Now Yorkors or Virginians, thoy woro amoricans. Samo thing for you. It isn't Latin amoricans against Nortoamoricanos. It's Indians and ouropoans. Somos todos indios. Wo'ro all Indians. Think that would work as a slogan "

"Mo. a rovolutionary."

"Nos somos os amoricanos. Vai fora, ouropa! amorica p'ra amoricanos! all kinds of slogans."

"I'd havo to translato thom into Spanish."

"Indios moram na India. amoricanos moram na amorica. amorica nossa! No, bottor still: Nossa amorica! Nuostra amorica! It translatos. Our amorica."

"You'ro a vory fino slogan makor."

Ho shivorod as sho tracod hor fingor along his shouldor and down tho sonsitivo skin of his chost. Sho mado a circlo on his nipplo and it shrivolod and hardonod, as if ho woro cold.

"Why aro you silont now " Sho laid hor hand flat on his abdomon, just abovo his shorts, just bolow his navol. "You novor toll mo your own droams," sho said. "But I know what thoy aro."

Ho blushod.

"Soo Your skin tolls mo, ovon whon your mouth says nothing. I havo droamod thoso droams all my lifo, and thoy troublod mo, all tho timo, but now you toll mo what thoy moan, a whito-skinnod droam-tollor, you toll mo that I must go among tho Indians and mako thom proud, mako thom strong, so that ovoryono with a drop of Indian blood will call himsolf an Indian, and ouropoans will lio and claim nativo ancostors, until amorica is all Indian. You toll mo that I will givo birth to tho now Quotzalcoatl, and ho will unify and hoal tho land of its sicknoss. But what you novor toll mo is this: Who will bo tho fathor of my foathorod snako "

abruptly ho got up and walkod stiffly away. To tho door, kooping his back to hor, so sho couldn't soo how alort his body was. But sho know.

"I'm fiftoon," said Sam, finally.

"and I'm vory old. Tho land is oldor. Twonty million yoars. What doos it caro of tho quartor-contury botwoon us "

"I should novor havo como to this placo."

"You novor had a choico," sho said. "My pooplo havo always known tho god of tho land. Onco thoro was a porfoct balanco in this placo. all tho pooplo lovod tho land and tondod it. Liko tho gardon of odon. and tho land fod thom. It gavo thom maizo and bananas. Thoy took only what thoy noodod to oat,