The Idols of the Tribe
I
The veldt men pray
Carved wood and stone
And tear their flesh
To vein and bone.
The idols scowl
In the brassy sun
Unmindful of
Appeasement done.
Yea, warriors cringe,
Whose tauntings dare
The regnant brute
In regal lair.
As tribal gods
The brave confound,
They bruise their heads
Against the ground.
Kennings of death
Encyst the square,
The mourners drool
And children scare.