Blindly attributed

to the Chiaroscurists of San Blas

to the Anonymous One of Maras

to the Master of Taray 

                                    a little something

I have to say:

                        this painting

came from my own hands: I  alone

painted, prepared, set forth the Sacred Meal

                                                            Here

the cunning Indian painter – the Anonymous One of the Cathedral –

in a flight of ecstasy

added from his own stores

hearty stews and the fruits of his harvest:

            in place of

the traditional bread – flat and unleavened --

he set upon on the paschal table

roasted cuy, stuffed spicy peppers

as if the Upper Room were not in the Holy Land

                                                but more likely

in cozy tavern in Cusco, let’s say

                                    “La Chola.”

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Maras/A small Andean town in what is now known as the Sacred Valley of Peru. Before the Spanish conquest, this region was the center of the Inca civilization.

Taray/A village in the Sacred Valley of Peru.

Cuy/Guinea pig, a staple of the Andean diet.

Chola/An affectionate name for an indigenous Andean girl or woman.

Translated by Lynn Levin