They took my body to the forest
They asked me to climb a ladder
I did not want to climb a ladder
But they forced me to climb the ladder
If you don’ t climb the ladder
we will bury you in the foamy mud
I had to decide: should I die
by hanging or by burial
I climbed the ladder and they wrapped
a belt around the thick limb of a tree
And then when I could no longer breathe
they tossed me into a stream
And I floated to the edge of the village
where someone prayed for my soul
It’ s like this in a lullaby
for the end of the world:
The options for the end
are endless
But this is not really a lullaby
for the end of the world
It’ s about the beginning
what happens when we start to rot
in the daylight
The way the light shines on
the ants and worms and parasites
mauling our bodies
It’ s about the swarms of dogs
gnawing our skin and bones
Do you know what it’ s like
when a ghost licks your intestines
Do you know what it’ s like
when a rat devours your brain
To avoid the hole
the children must sing sweetly, softly
To avoid the hole
they must fill their songs with love