turmeric
Megerator
Here it is. It might be a little much for some of you, sorry in advance. For the rest, see if you can guess what NT incident this concerns, and the NT characters which I haven't named...
Cassandra
She raised the fleece, once white, from the trough –
Dripping, – now Turkey red. The vat, filled
With the dark rich color of clotted blood,
Lately had swum with the viscera of creatures.
The white wool, stained, to her was not alarming.
It was the custom – White sheep for Apollo
Black for the nameless ones. Arms dyed to the elbows,
She stared into the trough – but no vision came.
The god had left her, auguries departed;
And yet she did not mind it.
“Cassandra” it had been
A name fit for this child, who did not know
Her own name; this dark, slender girl
Both knowing and ignorant, empty-eyed,
Silent when not possessed. She had brought silver
And gold to her masters through profitable trances.
But one day a foreigner had come into the market
Spoken a few words and the god had fled.
Then there had been an earthquake, and she
Had shuddered into awareness. Her new mistress
Required no prophecies; her trade was only
Colors – purple, Turkey red, indigo.
The blood of murex, cochineal and madder.
She strained to lift the heavy dripping wool.
Cassandra
She raised the fleece, once white, from the trough –
Dripping, – now Turkey red. The vat, filled
With the dark rich color of clotted blood,
Lately had swum with the viscera of creatures.
The white wool, stained, to her was not alarming.
It was the custom – White sheep for Apollo
Black for the nameless ones. Arms dyed to the elbows,
She stared into the trough – but no vision came.
The god had left her, auguries departed;
And yet she did not mind it.
“Cassandra” it had been
A name fit for this child, who did not know
Her own name; this dark, slender girl
Both knowing and ignorant, empty-eyed,
Silent when not possessed. She had brought silver
And gold to her masters through profitable trances.
But one day a foreigner had come into the market
Spoken a few words and the god had fled.
Then there had been an earthquake, and she
Had shuddered into awareness. Her new mistress
Required no prophecies; her trade was only
Colors – purple, Turkey red, indigo.
The blood of murex, cochineal and madder.
She strained to lift the heavy dripping wool.
Classy and classic!
