The Lie

cast your hand
over this parchment of land
and dream deep the means to seize it for I,

engineer the weapons
to expel the residents
or erect the catechism to ensure they comply,

pillage their property
their markets and libraries
and bury any rebellion in a mass shallow grave,

then

tuck away your gun
while you lick your silver tongue
and swear there was no civilization when you came.

First published by Arachne Press in the anthology ‘Where We Find Ourselves‘, edited by Sandra A. Agard and Laila Sumpton (2021)