MAD CONFUCIAN HAMMER
(ny harbor, 1891)
'There was a time we settled off the coast -
waves gently lapping, water in the boats.
Then men in uniform came aboard -
a mad Confucian hammer striking with fists.
Molten words and broken steel.
Everything went down badly.
We were made to heel. Silently,
below decks, kept for days in chains.
It was a time of no sunrise, nor set.
Hours passed, hours between
sweat and pain and blood.
When we finally made sure
and they'd let us go, I was
unable to walk for days,
and I still remain afraid
of the piers to this day.'
(ny harbor, 1891)
'There was a time we settled off the coast -
waves gently lapping, water in the boats.
Then men in uniform came aboard -
a mad Confucian hammer striking with fists.
Molten words and broken steel.
Everything went down badly.
We were made to heel. Silently,
below decks, kept for days in chains.
It was a time of no sunrise, nor set.
Hours passed, hours between
sweat and pain and blood.
When we finally made sure
and they'd let us go, I was
unable to walk for days,
and I still remain afraid
of the piers to this day.'
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