A note on this text: To connect the warrior Odysseus’s wanderings with the global flows of people, resources and pollution that characterize food production and distribution under late capitalism, samples come from the Fagles’ translation of The Odyssey and are taken from a variety of sources, including news reports, corporate websites and advertisements.

 

 

 

Proteus

 

You want to go home?

Your home is being devoured?

You want to go home?

 

Ask the gods, ask

Proteus, the old man in the sea who never

lies. He’s a shape

shifter. You’ll have to

hang on. He’s

wiggly. He’ll twist

and turn into every

beast that moves across

the earth. His purpose

is to engage in real estate investments

on behalf of both U.S. and international

investors. Proteus writhes

and flails, he strives

to be both a strategic

and financial partner, with his trademark

flexibility and agility,

Proteus anticipates the needs

of your organization vis-a-vis

revenue enhancement, synergies

of human capital, and quality deal

flow. Proteus transforms

himself into water, then superhuman

fire, then operates an investment

platform tailored to the unique

needs of high net worth

investors. He shifts into a lion, a panther,

a torrent of water, a tree with soaring

branches, yet focuses exclusively

on private investments, including

real estate, private equity and hedge funds

 

He says, Let me go for it is daybreak.  

Tell him, I will not let you go unless you bless me.