How he Had Been Captured (The Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut
With Greg Philippi, Jennifer Nicole, Joseph Adeiye, John Brennick, Dennis Da-ala Mirilla, Gemma Weekes, Isaiah Weekes - June 8th, 2021
How he had been captured…
How he had been captured was not a discussion to have over tea but it was the discussion I was having with myself as I poured another cup in my mind. Yes, of course, we'd lost our leader and had been set adrift on this raft. I looked over the side, spying a fin, as a shark brushed up against the branches and wooden sticks we called home, possibly trying to shake one of us loose.
We hopped to make our way to shore and away from trouble. While thoughts of our Captain as a guest in the King’s dungeon crossed my mind. I’d go down fighting before I’d let them take me. We caught a small fish by hand and ate it raw, but it wasn’t much to split amongst the three of us. My stomach hurt, but all I could think of was the Captain in chains and the girl I’d left in Boston. Why had he given up so easily or why had it seemed that way? He did have a price on his head and now we would too. I wouldn’t give the crown the satisfaction of seeing me swing at the end of a rope.
By Greg Philippi
How he had been captured…
Hands bound, face to the wall.
Innocent or guilty, you decide.
A house full of jurors and preconceived notions, as the world looks on
Disbelief or disgrace, only the ancestors can say!
Struggling for air in a place full of safety, she captured my soul!
My reputation precedes me. I can feel my presence becoming a burden to you, but how can I fly away and be free like the beautiful blackbird you are?
3 years you gave me, 3 years captured in your cage.
By Jennifer Nicole
How he had been captured…
He always had stories to tell: classic columns of the rich getting richer at the expense of a poorer majority, telling tales of unethical practices in some blue-chip companies, pellucid portraits of religious intolerance across the country, and recurrent reports on the role of government initiatives in the quality of citizen life. The authorities frowned much at him —he had become a menace. He would continue to accept invitations from the State Security Service and the Directorate of Military Intelligence to clarify the implications of some of his newspaper articles about the government. He died a few days after one such invitation when a parcel bomb, anonymously delivered to his home, blew him up. He had been caught. He was finally captured, but the government denied the capture anyway.
By Joseph Adeiye
How he had been captured…
Ten centuries ago
When he was a young soldier
They stormed up a hill
To the enemy stronghold
A foolish command
They foolishly obeyed
All slaughtered except him
That’s how he was captured
Helpless among the enemy
He knew he’d be tortured
That’s what they had told him
That’s how he knew they had lied
For the enemy, not brutes after all
But humans like him
Showed him kindness
Dressed his wounds
He learned their language
He learned their stories
Why they fought
Same reasons as his
He was returned a year later
Back in the army
He learned tactics
He learned strategy
He regained their trust
After consorting among the enemy
He gained command
Became a general
He never sent boys uphill
But went around
Victory after victory
At little cost
But his biggest strategic victories involved no battles
Instead, battles prevented while gaining the goal
This however brought him no glory
No appreciation for prevention
His colleagues won “glory”
While he earned no medals for peace
For unifying humans and avoiding bloodshed
More medals are earned for gory messes
Why is that?
By John Brennick
How he had been captured…
It just seems like something he could do, or maybe it was the narcissistic part of him, but he saw the painting hanging loosely, unmonitored at the reception, and he thought to himself, why not?
He wrapped it under his overall the company provided for the colored staff who were janitors to clean. It wasn’t big enough, but he was able to maneuver his way, and then he walked out through the back door.
He had only gotten his freedom two years ago from his master and gotten the job at the Louvre two months ago. With this, he could travel to Normandy and give himself a better life on some island where no one would find him. It was what they deserved, after all, he thought to himself.
By Dennis Da-ala Mirilla
How he had been captured…
Boom. Boom. Boom…
I hear behind me, so terrifyingly close mud splatters my face, soaking into already painful wounds from the sharp… well… everything… as my heart and lungs work overtime to keep me running and therefore alive…
My mind wanders to the crash, fighting to survive, the sickly almost demonic voice… getting lost and I… I can’t remember what’s chasing me… how I saw its… wait… no this –
My voice my body unwillingly shuts down…. my eyes hazy as if my very soul is incapacitated…
They got me.
Isaiah (14)
It happened slowly - a web tightening around his throat – silky threads falling over his back as he slept – accumulating weight – sinking into his body as he sat - eyes open in front of the television - as he slept through work – through the commute – through sex – it happened slow – one day he was at the supermarket and found he could barely shuffle forward – to pay for his food-like products – as if his ankles were bound together –
-when he reached the checkout – the nod he gave in greeting – cut into his neck and he could barely - hold out his credit card – the threads squeezed – bit – ate – sank into the core of him – until only his body could move – bag-in-hand – heart-in-shoe - mechanic – ally – towa – rd – the – park – i – n – g – lot
Gemma Weekes