Eisteddfod
me and Peewee were put on last
then the compėre went home
so our slot became open ended
no one to stop us
a largish crowd
three or four hundred
in rows of seats
in a semi-permanent hall
in a park in central Cardiff
we improvised from the start
and things became wild
at one point I climbed the rafters
over the audience’s heads
no safety of any kind
that was kind of the point
the audience went with us
the Lords of Misrule
the children’s reactions
being the main source of fun
at one point I asked
“Ok kids, who wants to be
DECAPITATED?”
a forest of hands went up
Peewee explained
all the glory details
while I went hunting
for a plausible implement of doom
I returned with a table leg
and Peewee had our victim
a sweet young girl
on her knees
hands behind her back
head bowed
and apparently willing to die
in the name of entertainment
the adult part of the crowd
had turned into a mob
something atavistic
had curiously seized
this celebration
of all things Welsh
things went all the way
right up to the point
where I only had two options
carry out a brutal bludgeoning
or ask for the applause
the young girl in question
took several
curtain calls
