THE AVERAGE EYE
The average eye
wouldn’t have noticed a thing
It all appeared swept and clean
The normal nostril
would not have picked up
the very slight tobacco scent in the air
but just as soon, maybe even before
Sensei crossed the threshold into the dojo
smoking his own ever present calumet
the hum and frequency changed
He was disturbed
With his cane that he didn’t need to walk
but had infinite other uses for, many quite painful
he pointed to an impression on the tatame
that only he could see
then he pointed to me
Your fat ass!
He pointed to another
and to my brethren
Your stinky buttock!
then to another and another brother
You, greasy stinkhole, know everywhere!
then to three impressions of no one present
Mmmm, very sexy! He licked his lips
Tracing another with his cane
But maybe she my preference
The last figurine, he only paused
then the cane issued pain
After our beating
the duties were dealt
One ton onion! He barked at Miyal
One thousand bucket! He screamed at Suquel
Then he caned me and i fell to my knees
He saddled atop my shoulders
and ordered me to stand
After some additional whacks of the cane
I learned that every step i took
with him atop my shoulders
needed to be a squat
If the knee didn’t touch the ground
he’d smack me all the way back to the beginning
All day was the long road with load
He oversaw Suquel carry bucket after bucket
straight up mountain from the river valley far below
When we snuck up on Miyal crying streams
the knife momentarily set on the counter
among mounds and mounds of onions
Sensei ordered one ton more
We wondered how we’d spend the night
Just after sunset
Sensei dismounted
He ordered the three of us fetch a barrel
from a cellar we’d never had access to before
You like the drink? Let’s drink!
The master then drank the three of us under the table
Morning came quicker than usual
and i was made to fetch buckets that day
WHO IS CAPTAIN B?
Captain B. Seafarer. Lover of shore leave. Collector of heads. Disseminator of tales. Twitter: @NPeligeiro
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3/20 poems by Captain B
