Man in a Cage

The women gathered in Hurtle Square,

Or what had remained of it,

They’d coloured their lips and they’d curled their hair

They’d powdered themselves, most everywhere,

Stepped over the rubble that lay out there,

In clothes of the tightest fit.

 

The cars sat silent along the street,

The paint beginning to peel,

It had been so long since the world went wrong

Since the pumps had closed and the oil had gone,

The radio played a plaintive song

Of a love that ceased to be real.

 

The plague had ravaged the planet’s face,

Had taken a billion men,

And what was left was the barest trace

Of the masculine side of the human race,

Pollution took care of their D.N.A.’s

By gifting them Oestrogen!

 

There wasn’t a fertile man in town,

‘Til one had returned from space,

He’d come at the end of the autumn rains

To the empty wombs and the women’s pains,

So they seized him there and they bound in chains

The last hope of the race.

 

He sat in a cage in the Travellers Inn,

Enthroned like the chosen one,

While a hundred women paraded by

With a shimmy, a blink and a wink of the eye

From the love-lost there, an audible sigh

At the thought of bearing a son!

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[cynthiabuhainbaello]

A morbid futuristic scene so vividly narrated and woven into a poetic story.
The introduction was intriguing, catching interest and curiosity with its mystery. Your story poems never fail to deliver the impact and a remarkable twist in the end. Excellent, David.

[TL Boehm]

Very different from you -interesting rhyme scheme. I always look at that with your work - I am always impressed with your ability to weave a story within the specific parameters of your meter and cadence. This one is a bleak view of what could be. A bit of sci-fant. Well done.

[Laura Maidah]

Very traditionally accurate. That's what you were going for so nice work.

[Tomi]

Magical! Exemplary concept. Brilliant! Absolutely Brilliant!. Thank you for sharing

[w]

A situation I would not care to be in. Being a piece of meat is not a fun experience, being in a cage is worse, but the pressure to produce a son is horrible. I know of all of these (not in this situation or all at once). Very nice flow, good piece and a pleasure to read.

[Valentine]

Different...but the way this world is heading..it could happen..thankfully I will be in Heaven by then...Great write my friend..Kathie

[Debbie_Philly]

Brilliant as always !!! David you are a wizard with the pen your wand !!:)

[Dean Kuch®]

..."So they seized him there and they bound in chains
The last hope of the race."...when I read these two lines, my mind subliminally impalnted the word 'HUMAN' between the words 'the' and 'race', I suppose becaue of the way it was flowing in my brain-pan?
As always, a masterfully written piece!

[Brittany]

I read the other reviews, and I must be an airhead because I found this told in a playful and comical way and that's what I enjoyed about it. I'm sure there is a deeper meaning, but I just enjoyed the storytelling and rhyme and flow. I think your writing is amazing.

[Androglossia]

The plague had ravaged the planet’s face,
Had taken a billion men,
And what was left was the barest trace
Of the masculine side of the human race,
Pollution took care of their D.N.A.’s
By gifting them Oestrogen!

Did I sense homosexuality and sarcasm in there?


Straight men are getting scarce due to increasing homosexuality rates is the clear message of the poem (ouch! i'm hit!). Anyway the poem itself is excellent and you did well in hiding the true intention of words or actions in between verses.

This is clever!