Invitation to a Sacrifice

Invitation to a Sacrifice

There’s a woman stumbling in a field

of snow.

Crying              out

Crying              out

Crying              out...

Her two hands clutch

a wound above

her left breast

Tears burn holes.

Spots of blood

leave a trail

in the snow.

Somewhere behind her

in the growling whiteness

whiteness that scours the eyes

like salt

there are dogs.

Behind the dogs there are drunk men

telling jokes and boasting about

what they each

are going to do with her

when,

eventually,

they catch up with her

keeling over

with the mirth

of drunken teammates

in the snow

then up again and

whistling.

Behind the drunk men whistling

there is only the darkness offscreen,

vast and unanswering.

Or whatever you want to call it.

If you could relieve this woman now,

If you could perforate the veil

between

stretch a giant hand

and withdraw her from this picture

would you?

You would?

And then what would you do with her?