04-11-2023, 11:18 PM
When I think of gold
I see the engravings of Theodore de Bry:
the Spanish atrocities committedÂ
in the so-called New World
in their lust for precious metals
possibly the first time my young eyes
were opened to man’s inhumanity to man.
I no longer remember where I came upon them,
but I can still see them in my mind
as though it was the first time.
I confess there was a certain thrill involved,
as my eyes pored over the details
of amputations, torture, and burning alive.
What is it in us that can thrill to such suffering?
Like gold our souls seem bright but malleable,
it just depends on whose hands have taken hold.
I see the engravings of Theodore de Bry:
the Spanish atrocities committedÂ
in the so-called New World
in their lust for precious metals
possibly the first time my young eyes
were opened to man’s inhumanity to man.
I no longer remember where I came upon them,
but I can still see them in my mind
as though it was the first time.
I confess there was a certain thrill involved,
as my eyes pored over the details
of amputations, torture, and burning alive.
What is it in us that can thrill to such suffering?
Like gold our souls seem bright but malleable,
it just depends on whose hands have taken hold.