Jan Hansen Poet Blank verse

the dilemma

the dilemma 


a man walking home from work through the Olivera noticed 
a group of hanged men, who when alive, had argued
about the price of aceite
The devil, that had caused this, sat on a felled tree 
polishing his hoof and sharpening his scythe
The man, who was on Sundays a lay preacher, was upset 
and said what the devil are you doing?
the devil stopped sharpening his scythe, lit a cigarette
the tobacco aroma was intense in the still night
having inhaled a few times and the glow of his cigarette 
made mystic circles in the dark
finally, he stumped out the *** with his hoof, cleared 
his throat and said:
My job is to collect the souls of those who have trespassed
broken the law of nature, alas 20.000 thousand people 
of the wrong sort were killed by those whose souls I was
to collect but could not 
it was pointed out to me they were God's chosen people
Therefore, beholden to a promise I had made when God and I were 
carving up the world, I could do nothing
Ok, I see, but what about the men in the Olivera?
As I was walking past, they were talking about football!
Would you believe it? I told them to, go hang themselves, and they did

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