An Excavation
Listen to poem:
At first sight
there was a hole
a pile of dirt,
freshly dug,
an excavation.
The earth was warm
it smelled of fresh-dug earth,
wisps of steam rose
gently wafting up in
spirals in the mist.
Then there was a moan,
from a body covered in dirt,
naked but clothed
in gossamer shroud of steam.
Moments ago that body
lay buried alive
deep in the earth,
unconscious but alive,
breathing dirt and muck.
Buried alive,
they thought he was dead
as he feigned death
held is breath,
let limbs fall limp
eyes, fixated in a stare
his pain silenced with fear.
Bashed and robbed
striped naked
kicked and punched
then dragged to hole
excavated in haste
with bare hands
to hide the evidence
they dumped him in.
He felt the earth
cascade around his limbs
in his eyes and ears
around his head and body
'till all was dark
within the filled-in hole
and silent.
He counted to one hundred,
then moved an arm
to break through the earth
making a cup of air
around his mouth to breathe.
Then slowly, he swung
his legs and arms up
to push the earth aside
like a baby turtle
hatch-ling on the beach,
until with one last push
and shove, he crawled out,
free and self-exhumed
from the excavation.
19 June 2021
For the 'This or That, Vol 4' Contest - An Excavation
Edward Ibeh
Copyright © John Anderson | Year Posted 2021
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