(From Babylonian tablet, 4,000 years Before Christ) THREE walls around the town of Tela when I came. They expected everything of those walls; Nobody in the town came out to kiss my feet. I knocked the walls down, killed three thousand soldiers, Took away cattle and sheep, took all the loot in sight, And burned special captives. Some of the soldiers -- I cut off hands and feet. Others -- I cut off ears and fingers. Some -- I put out the eyes. I made a pyramid of heads. I strung heads on trees circling the town. When I got through with it There wasn't much left of the town of Tela. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...CONTRA MORTEM: THE ECSTASY by HAYDEN CARRUTH CONTRA MORTEM: THE STONE by HAYDEN CARRUTH BATTLE OF BRITAIN by CECIL DAY LEWIS THE ORANGE PICKER by DAVID IGNATOW GOSSAMER by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON THE TOURNAMENT by SIDNEY LANIER |