POETRY

Operation Inca Freedom

by Neal Schuster

Mighty Atahualpa rides to Cajamarca
Borne on the backs of willing subjects
An Inca llama to face a slavering Spanish hyena.
Raiment glittering in the sun, rare feathers on display --
He himself is about to become endangered.
The Spaniards' swords dully gleam, and cynically smack their lips at the approaching feast
As the Incan army relaxes in the heat, a swimming child about to cramp.
Tramp, tramp, tramp go the processional feet
Sweeping the plaza clean, as the Spanish pee themselves in bloodthirsty delight.
Soon the ground will be stained red with precious oils
As the emperor's litter is pulled down.

O mighty Inca, to possess your naivete!
So calm, so self-assured now inside the trap
As cool and secured as a roomful of gold in Fort Knox.
Your treasures will wind up in Kentucky --
These white men aren't gods, they're syphilitic monsters
Come to devour your land, your gold, your soul.
Don't let them eat you alive
Ending your days quietly, with a strangled cry of remorse
Don't take all this sitting down.
Somehow read ahead a few tangled knots in history,
But please don't take this sitting down.