Walking down a street

Walking down a street,

a simple walk, unencumbered,

I am assailed, afflicted

tempted by the idols,

idols with jeweled eyes,

enveloped in smoky incense,

pungent, swirling around

their stone feet, attended

by their servants offering

bodies for a small fee,

a contribution to the gods.

The music moves among

them, drowning the cries

of those cooked in oil,

those who turn their heads

from the gods, the incense,

the servants, the music,

the hearts scalded and

seared.

Photograph by Peter Griffin via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.