***
If the people
from the time I was born
heard me refer to their Brisbane city
(that might not actually be their city)
as “Brises and Banes”
do you think
they’d throw
a hissy fit?
If the people
who lived
a hundred years
before I was born
heard me
insult their culture
and called me out on it,
do you think
I’d apologize
or
eat them
or
trick them
into entering a room
where the closing of the door
activates a summoning ring
to slowly
scorch
them
to
death
along
with
their
culture?
Never mind that;
the Brises and Banes
protested my control
then rioted
uncontrolled,
they knocked down
skeleton skyscrapers
and ripped out the a/c,
they burned farm fields
and
tore apart their
boxing rings,
and I
in my high tower
cried a little
that my tree people
turned out just like
humans,
even though I was the one
who made them that way,
or maybe I just cried
that I’d
no longer have
my Tuesday baths
or Friday gowns
and that
the Sunday walls
in paisley patterned brown
would be the last walls
they ever made for me
and I’d get
no more
colorful windows or rugs,
at least,
not here.
The riots
burned
and the people crowded the streets,
shouting
a phrase I couldn’t comprehend,
maybe “Down with the witch”
or “We want to read”
or who knows
I don’t
I made a ring on the rug
out of the day’s empty fruit platters,
scrawled summoning runes
on the ceramic dishes
with fruit juice,
and I went back
to the realm of snow and ice
and the riots really should’ve predicted I’d do this,
just, duck out and leave them
to figure out how to fix the electricity
and a/c they broke with their rioting,
but I don’t think
they predicted I’d do this.
Then I
called up Dr. Mizto
in a silver matchstick’s glow
and told them
I was leaving for a bit
but did they want to keep running the experiment?
As in,
the people had started rioting
so I didn’t feel safe sleeping
but I also didn’t want to end everything
so if Dr. Mizto
the winged demon
flew into town
maybe that’d calm the madness.
But if they just wanted to observe,
not intrude,
see if the tree peeps
came up with democracy
or another queen,
that’d be fine too.
Dr. Mizto
said they might drop in for a visit
then asked
if I still had that burning crown
they gave me for a gift
and I said no
I used it
a long while ago
to award some random week’s boxing champion
and they said
oh
that works.
It’s a portal,
Witch Kook,
is that why
I didn’t arrive there
the first time
on top of your head?
Yes, Dr. Mizto,
that’s why
you arrived
right next
to the army;
one of them
had the boxing crown,
though probably doesn’t
anymore.
***
check out Graveyard of Lullabies by clicking this link
Jordyn Saelor 