Circumnavigation

My vascular network 
would circle the earth's 
     midline at least four times— 
sprawling ravelry of red, marking 
highways that explorers in the past 
     had to decipher by rumor and star-
chart. Their destination: islands
warmed with clouds of clove and 
     anise, forests where vines 
of pink and green peppercorn 
still hold their secrets close 
     in each cluster. Long 
     centuries after, have I been 
found, or have the many traces
of my going made new maps
     for all my future sojourning?