Continuing the liturgical theme, another sestina: Judas You stood on the hummock and tied the rope To the overhanging branch of the yew, leaves silver In the moonlight, the lady herself, a coin Hanging bright in the sky. Your last meal of bread And sour wine is heavy in your gut. It feels death- Like, pallid, the sodden roots of a tree Gone soft with rot, never flowering. A tree Too spoilt to ever be hewn into planks. The rope Is tight around your neck, your good death Is not far away. You paid for it in silver, Heavy slugs imprinted with the face of a king. New bread Is not sweeter if bought with a higher coin. Gold isn’t brighter when purchased with blood, and coins Cannot free you from every prison. This tree, For example, is a prison itself, lacking the bars. No bread Can satiate this hunger, the only remedy is this rope, Tight on your larynx. The hemp glows silver In the distant light from the stars. You taste death On your tongue, not yours. Some other, greater death That you bought, and sold. It sits in your stomach, a coin Cast from lead, weighing you down. The darkling silver In the bag on your belt is merely painted base. This tree Is the only real thing around, and also the rope Rough as it is, itching, brand-new. The fibres smell of bread. It’s the same colour, the colour of the crust of bread, A new loaf, broken down the middle, portending death, Some gross death, aided by the thin mercy of rope Purchased with bright, blood-stained coin. And now, what do you have? You own this tree, The field surrounding it, bought with the silver, Gore-spattered and filthy, the tarnishing silver You got for your lord. No one will sell their bread To you, not in this village. You bought the tree, The barren plot of bone-scarred earth it stands upon, full of death That is waiting for you. Place that blackening salt-coin Underneath your tongue for passage. Step off of the rise, into the rope. The tree sways under the weight that hangs from strong, New rope that smells of fresh bread. Silver coins spill Out in moonlight, packed with death.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Apr 2014 09:30:51 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015