Naked, tawny, eyes full of openness;
Came to the beaches, greeted warriors
Who in armor, bearing swords, smiled
And talked oddly; beards of red,
Glass beads and hawk’s bells, gave
Forth in exchange of bright green and red
Parrot life and baubles of cotton-balls,
And spears gleaming on the sands;
Corn, yams, and cassava for these bearded
Gods of the sea they spread in plenty;
Yet, these men unclean and unkempt,
Took from openness prisoners to task
As slaves to work their galleys, exposed
The gold-flecked bangles on their ears.
Dark days brought these people down,
Broke them on the wheel of progress;
Stripped them of their lives and wealth,
Freedom and the dream of peace and plenty.
Instead the Spaniard’s began a killing trend,
Slaughter of innocents and enslavement;
Cruelty and imposition of a world of hate,
Where millions would die or be enslaved.
What is this history but the end of man,
The slow death of earth and a final day?
Is this the Promised Land or Judgment Day?
– Steven Craig Hickman ©2014 Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited.
Dr. Rinaldi's Horror Cabinet 