Wikipedia Poem, No. 458

“Their bodies were dragged through the streets and covered in heaps of salt to underline the point.” Sarah Bakewell

killed their bodies 
     for five earrings 
        me in the streets expensive 
      me
the streets 
        setting 
      fire 
      taking 
me
into the streets setting fire 
to warn 
worn like worms 
         to 
worn 
         tax 
collectors houses some 
attacked 
       to 
protest and soak 
  their 
      chalky white skin in heaps of rebels emblazoned 
with carved jade
        
     cabochon rubies 
and expensive days of protest 
      and soaks his chalky 
      white 
skin 
into a generally 
peasant 
uprising a few tax 
  collectors houses gone and some 
covered in 18k gold
my wrists worn 
   to protest and expensive days
of pleasant protest