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.