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Centra Coronalis

December 20, 2016 By Riot Material 3 Comments

by Anthony Hassett (1 of 3)

For three months, and in a confusion of names now
vanished, our rotting vessels made slow headway
through the strange aberrant splendors of the sea.

Finally, in a state of madness,
we ran our ships on shore, and so embedded them
forever in sand.

Here we saw the marks of beasts,
not men, whose feet were likewise as great
as an oxen, which we measured to eight or nine
inches in breadth. This discovery somewhat disturbed
the muster of our poor men, who had not experience
of the like before.

Also, among the strange herbs and flowers, we saw
a great store of heathens

who resembled murdering over-grown monkeys,
which so frighted some of our men
that they began to go back, and retire in certain bushes.

Truly, it is strange to see what a speket mass
of loathsome things present themselves
on these isles -- firstly, to the view of God,
and now to the view and detestation
of Christian men.

And who shew such liberty in all kind
of lewd behavior, as they skip in the trees
from bough to bough, whereon is planted
a very fair vine, from which they stew a wine
or sacrament, and use it marvelous beastly.

It is with God's blessing that we shoot
and discharge into these demons our pieces,

that they too, through the scent of gunpowder
fired in piety, might suppose us to be gods,

and not persuaded to the contrary...

Anthony Hassett is an illustrator, poet, and the author of Gazette. 

                           ~

The New Word is a poetry submission column. Poems should be no more that 300 words, with a maximum grouping of three related poems. Before submitting, please make sure every word has been considered and the poem has been edited to the very syllable, to the rhythms of each sound and step. Send to submissions@riotmaterial.com,  subject line The New Word.

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Filed Under: Fiction, The Line, The New Word

Comments

  1. John Biscello says

    January 1, 2017 at 11:58 am

    Beautifully charged poem, diving headfirst into the “heart of darkness.”

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Cosmography – Riot Material says:
    March 4, 2019 at 10:53 pm

    […] . Anthony Hassett is a poet, illustrator, and the author of Gazette. The first poem in this series can be read here: Centra Coronalis […]

    Reply
  2. Adi Anadi – Riot Material says:
    March 4, 2019 at 10:52 pm

    […] poet, illustrator, and the author of Gazette. The first two poems in this series can be read here: Centra Coronalis and […]

    Reply

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