THE TYRANT

As a child he kept amphibians

netted in the gentle stream,

fed maggots, worms and spiders;

enjoyed that savage ritual.

 

Along the seaside promenade

he'd pester grandma for another coin

to watch the clockwork execution:

a model man led out by guards

who dropped through a tiny trapdoor.

 

Later he amassed billions,

rose to power, eliminated rivals,

enslaved and stole resources.

 

He starts wars because

he can't imagine life without them.

Takes whatever he decides,

bombs schools, hospitals, kindergartens

just to teach them who to fear.

 

The Bosphorus Review, September 2022, Ed. Maged Hussein.