everything changes
in your life
once you’ve been
struck by the
head of a war
arrow, or skewered
by the thrust of a
pole axe.
first, the shock of
overwhelming
fear; then the
crushing flash of
pain.
if you live––
monstrous months or
years of stumbling
recovery––
if you die––
an indifferent pool
of blood.
the result:
millennia of
one-armed farmers &
shell-shocked
beggars in the
street.
through all of human
history, gleaming
weapons, fifes &
drums––
a tragic game of
follow-the-leader––
charging endlessly into the
dark.