An Execution

An Execution

I’ve been tied onto this post,
knots from which there’s no escaping,
stuck in the sand just at the water’s edge.
With the tide, the water comes up to my neck,
drowning not the real intention.
The trial is exposure, suffocation is too fast.

The ground I stand on, too, was taxed
with special imposition.
Not only must I pay the final price,
but my estate must also pay
the costs of execution.
It’s an insult, what’s the cost?
A post, some rope, the watchman
preventing my release.
Now I’ll die here in this ocean
with this day’s flowing water.

In plain sight of all the ravens
but they have nowhere to land.
From their perches all around me,
they can’t move against Poseidon.
Hear their incessant cawing.
Their king’s voice above the rest:

“We’ll see you in Valhalla,
our beloved fallen comrade.
You are dead but not defeated,
this is just another gate.
We will fly there now to guide you,
guide your spirit o’er the water, but
you never would get lost,
soul connected to the light.
Our privilege to accompany
when our ministry has been thwarted.
Through our wings stretched by the flapping,
absorb the exult of release.

“Almost there now, can you smell them?
Flowers in the gardens growing,
each one planted just for you.
You’re released, now, here is your reward.”