the ordeal

there was a time
back when people believed that dragons
roamed the country side,
back when kids were scared of the
trolls in the forest,
back when the world was flat &
everything in the sky revolved around this
big rock,
where the cauldron of water was set over a
fire &
a small stone was thrown inside---
as the water boiled,
bubbling hot & spitting,
you would be made to stuff your bare arm down
inside,
in the attempt that you might find the
stone &
you would be forced by those behind you
to stay in the cauldron
until your boiling flesh did
grasp the small stone &
pull it out, flailing in violent,
unimaginable pain.

after a few days,
a priest would come to check out the arm,
making the “holy” decision
that if it was healing
you were innocent of whatever bogus crime
you’d been accused of &
if it wasn’t,
then because said sanctified pederast said so,
you would undergo an even harsher
punishment.

ah yes, that “ultimate justice”
that once came with organized
religion.