The Execution Festival

when they gathered seven warmongers
on Blackheath, Sandra brought ham sandwiches
and never looked away.

it didn’t feel like horror when the horror
was just. Sandra thought of all the children
this suited seven destroyed with bombs
& white phosphorus in the name of Liberty.

& as a silver-haired man in an Armani suit swung,
Sandra shared a can of Kronenbourg
with her friend Laura- who helped nationalize
the railways in 2029 but was often referred to
as hard-right.

both women were shocked, certainly,
at how much they enjoyed
the public execution. but with no system
of accountability in place, Sandra-
who was always compassionate-
saw no other way of protecting ordinary folk.

she gave the execution festival
a four point eight out of five
on TripAdvisor and booked a ticket
to a larger Davos-based festival in June.

***

Eugene O'Hare was born in Ireland. He was recently shortlisted for the poetry prize at Belfast Book Festival. New poems appear in Rattle, Cyphers, Atrium and more.