Stadium
By Paul Vermeersch
A shallow pit where heads rolled. White
marble stretched over red brick. Fragments
of equipment. Containers for food. The trap doors
through which the lions sprang unchained.
Helmets of iron and bronze. Helmets
of fiberglass. Some objects to be determined
later, the remains of a stone O, like a fairy
ring collecting detritus: a slave’s chain,
a mouthguard, some scraps of AstroTurf.
Letters cast in brass found out of order:
L-I-V-E-R-D-O-M-E. A first aid kit. Evidence
of human sacrifice. Paths worn into corridors
by a million steps. A loop of cable wrapped
in plastic. A microphone. A speech. An anthem.
