The Good Noose

Do you wear a tie?
Does it make you look distinguished?
Are you aware that it’s a symbol
That your life can be extinguished?

Ancient slaves wore round their necks
A sturdy slipknot rope
Whose functions were many
In controlling behavior
But foremost to eliminate hope

It was hard to forget
That with one little motion
That rope could be made very tight
Cutting the blood flow
From heart to brain…
In two seconds your head becomes light
Two seconds later
And consciousness fades
Six seconds more and you’re dead
With that handy rope already in place
To drag your corpse off by the head

When I look down a busy urban street
It sometimes makes me feel queasy
All those slaves proclaiming
“Kill me if you must!
Here, I’ll make it easy.”

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