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Andy Hoffman writes fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Best-known for his Pulitzer-nominated biography, Inventing Mark Twain, he has recently completed a new novel, How to Live Forever. He holds a PhD from Brown University and has been an entrepreneur, primarily in educational technology, since 1997. He lives in Providence, RI.

Explorers

Andy Hoffman

Zheng He intimidated peoples
around the Indian Ocean,
mapping the world from China
to Madagascar and beyond.

Colon, called Columbus, faced death,
terror and mutiny on open sea,
breaking tectonic barriers
and transforming global ecology.

Magellan circled the globe
almost — death stopped him short.
After he died the world shrunk and
every seaside settlement became a port.

I scrabble through dense jungle
finding no pathway through.
Following snakes under rotting leaves
I found a heart-sized ruby: you.

Zheng He sought dominance for China,
Colon wealth, and Magellan trade.
I found only love, the greatest prize,
and won’t merit a word when history’s made.

— Andy Hoffman

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