The 3 Question Quiz

THE 3 QUESTION QUIZ

               Knife at her throat—
                  gentle and long
                  delicate
                  on her neck
         Neck
         Like the snow white cranes that flew overhead
               
        Knife at her throat
                  Retribution
       For her …
       who was it? 
                     Shaking hand paused---
               who? 
                  Her grandfather’s father’s uncle
       He thought it was right
       The knife edge glittered dust-speckled in the sun
       Glint hypnotizing
             settled the shaking hand
       Now he was calm
              deadly calm
      
       Was it on her mother’s side
      ... breath...
       Or her father’s side
      ... breath...
       Suddenly this conundrum
       magnified
       clarified the air
       became more important
               than his own name
        became more 
        urgent
                than
       The trickle
       Of blood
       That slid over
       His fingers...
        lovely blue rivers 
        pulsing 
       under his fingertips
       beneath her  skin
       on its way
       thru the valley
       of her egg white body

       Knife clattered
       on the teak desk of her grandfather's uncle
       she lay stunned
       
       open wide
       the window
       swallowed him
       into the midnight velvet





Victoria Anderson-Throop   2013
Juja, Kenya

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Rodger Cunningham

Date: 1/9/2013 12:28:00 PM

Those that live in the past are destined to repeat it... sad when this occurs to individuals, a moral tragedy when it happens to a nation. You have shined a light on a very dark subject, thank you.