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1533

under a nervous rain
in the dark afternoon of the forest
the slave extracts latex from the rubber tree
and the whip leaves stripes in the man on his knees

under the scorching sun
in the morning before shrouded by mists
the slave handles the pan in the stream
and the whip opens a bloody wound in him

but centuries before that
the ferocity of the jaguar lurks in the woods
the beautiful water lily looks like a green tray
where the dragonfly is swallowed by the frog
conquerors' helmets reflect a sliver of the sun
beyond the sodden forests is their way
past the snowy Andean mountain
the Inca temples are waiting for the nefarious visit
that will bring devastation and pain

Copyright © Marco Chies

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