Prisoners of War
Edward Ka-Spel
Tanith and the Lion Tree (1991)

They kept Alfredo in a box +
fed him potatoes three
times daily with a pinch of salt.
He'd yell, assault the waiters,
So they covered up his
windows, put the box upon a
spring + sparred... said, "Sweet
Alfredo, we're just butterflies,
but know we can sting like the
bees... Like the bees that took
old Mama Liza when they tied
her up with string + threw the
cream cakes, sprayed the
syrup..." Safe behind their
visors; they taped the screams
+ played them to the
neighbors over barbecued
Bartholomew + home-made
blood wine stamped by the feet
of the man who would be
Christ. Send the lions in - the
'entertainment'! No-one's ever
bored. Life is so fulfilling since
they gave us all these
prisoners of war... Some guys
picked the perfect lovers...
Some guys picked the perfect
whores... Some go for slavery
- the old way. It's all within the
law. Life is brighter since they
gave us all these prisoners of
war...