Adrian Lurssen
Song for instruments and empty tents
We are telling the story of a cheetah elephant zebra and lion
They get nothing except the dust
They are fighting over who is strongest
You don't want to hear something like that
You can see the city from here, but you can't hear it or smell it
Across plains punctuated by circles, grass-ringed bald spots
A patchwork of troops and rebels covers every inch of earth
Each instrument cut to play just one note
*
Wire screen over cage to protect men from falling rocks
Black honey musky with sunlight and nectar
Bantu boys gagged for silence and
They laugh so hard they have nothing to hold each other up
Thin whispers of skirts and all minds focus on honey
You don't want to see something like that
We are reading a story about nothing except the dust
Each instrument cut to play just one note
*
Rocks are smashed and washed by hand
They are fighting over who is strongest
But how deep should you dig to maintain human success
We don't want to ask something like that
I am reading a story about thunder across plains punctuated by circles
I am living in my daughter's house
The thin whispers of skirts as boys trail their elders and
Each instrument cut to play just one note
*
Hunters descend with dripping combs
They laugh so hard they have to hold each other up
As boys trail their elders
They are fighting over who is strongest
They hide nothing except the dust
We don't want to know something like that
Thin whispers of skirts and rocks smashed by hand
Each instrument cut to play just one note