The tinier the drudge
the dearer must be the shackle.
The circus flea
drawing the chariot
walking the tightrope
cranking the carousel
must toil lifelong
yoked by a golden thread,
thirsting upon
what scant precious blood
the tyrant pays
grudgingly out of his flesh.
Thus is learned
what it means to be human.
Published in Open Arts Forum on .
Wim Coleman (he/him) is a playwright, poet, novelist, and nonfiction writer. His book of poetry, I.O.U., was published in 2020, and his “love ballad” The King and the Beggar Lady was published in 2022. Novels that he has co-authored with his wife, Pat Perrin, include Anna’s World, the Silver Medalist in the 2008 Moonbeam Awards, and The Jamais Vu Papers, a 2011 finalist for the Eric Hoffer/Montaigne Medal. His play The Harrowing was performed in New York in 2023 at Theater for the New City as part of its New City, New Blood Readings Series. His play The Mad Scene was awarded First Place in the Script category of the 91st Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition. His play Shackles of Liberty was the winner of the 2016 Southern Playwrights Competition. Wim is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and PEN International, San Miguel Center. blog: playsonideas.com
More by Wim Coleman →Publishing creative work and building a community around writers, artists, readers, and editors.
