Sacrifice

By Joi Smith 

 

The ritual dance begins
drums beat,
virgin sacrifice tears the heart from the night
with piercing screams
her poisoned arrow smile caught you, unaware
Now, let the curtain fall
in one last bludgeoning echo
upon the beast-like orphans
bridled by ghost reins
who once tapped
their slow mystical dance
to tree spirits, monkey screams
and blood....
forest stilled,
A slime of blood
trickles down well stones
from knife's edge. 
©1973 Joy Smith

Author's note: Written after imagining what happened during the Aztec virgin sacrifices,
especially if the executioner had eye contact with the victim.
Later, a radio show said they set aside children to save for the rituals,
and described it much as I had imagined.

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