it is in my heart to begin
to make miniature dioramas
a history of man
all told in an Altoid tin
creation
the discovery of fire
Eve tempted by the serpent
with a pomegranate
the day religion was invented
by deluded men
the battle of Agincourt
the day we discovered the new world
already had a civilization
occupying it
the coronation of Henry VIII
the beheading of Anne Boleyn
the day Powhatan gave Pocahontas
to white European men
Beethoven’s first note pressed into a piano
Shakespeare’s first play performed in The Globe Theatre
Custer’s bad decision
the trail of tears
the blood soaked magenta fields of Gettysburg
the assassination at a bad play
of Abraham Lincoln
i shall remember Wounded Knee
the day suffragettes won their cause
the first words Anne Frank wrote in her secret diary
allied troops arriving
on the five beaches of Normandy
the first time John Fitzgerald Kennedy
laid eyes on Marilyn Monroe
and the day someone blew his brains
all over Jackie
the Washington Mall on the day
the people heard Dr. King say,
“I have a dream…”
the day Maya allowed her caged bird to sing
the moon landing and small steps on the surface
to spite Russia
the moment David Bowie decided
to make Ziggy into Stardust
the day Lou Reed released Wild Side
the moment the last of Andy Warhol died
the day we discovered
government
is a lie
2 replies on “all told in an Altoid tin”
Honestly, I don’t have words for brilliance of this magnitude… I felt like I was just day-tripped through time, then smacked across the face with that last line. This is sheer, absolute awesome, Alicia. Really.
Hot damn, then my intent was conveyed. Thank you for being such an adept lightning rod, Trent Lewin.