The pioneer leaves his town
Disentangled from the vein and artery of life;
From the gold star of love; the ten out of ten of full married life;
From the string of happiness and the pearls of security.
Love will not be his for a long time
If he survives in the New World
A cruel life will be all he knows
A fight for survival against the unknown
At home, people will fall in love ten times over
But he will not know love; he will be alone, forgotten
With no one to share his desperation, experience and discovery
Who could sacrifice their life with its love?
For wilderness and the threat of death
Who could give up the kisses of all the girls
For a new morning on a foreign unknown shore
Rocking himself to sleep on a cold night
Remembering the affections given him then
and missing the love that he’ll never know
The lone spearhead of later explorers
That will bring war and disease to an undisturbed land
Never to name a street in your honour
Or rebuild your existence in history books
Or know of your unburied bones
1998
Mikes New Web 
Reblogged this on AuAu Over and commented:
Very interesting. I remember reading a while ago how the spanish colony was made by “segundones”, second child of a wealthy noble family who wasnt the heir.
And how after the fall of Tenochtitlan, the troops were paid not even the price of two swords, cause the main fortune was spend on the crown (20% which was stolen at sea), Cortes, other captains and expenses. They avoided mutiny with the promise of new campaigns which were going to provide new fortunes, land and “workers”, that only came later for a few. Glory in conquest was the exception, not the rule. “A cruel life will be all he knows”.
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A fab reblog, your comment/notes about the Spanish colony are really interesting.
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