Water Cure

By William Pagdatoon

 

You make the American flag in the eyes of a numerous people the emblem of sacrilege in Christian churches, and of the burning of human dwellings, and of the horror of water torture.

 —Senator George F. Hoar, “The Attempt to Subjugate a People Striving for Freedom, Not the American Soldier, Responsible for Cruelties in the Philippine Islands” (1902)

 

Come, come!

a remedy, a panacea

bringing life to all!

 

remove fears scalding

a brain and make

silent speech heard.

 

to use this medicine:

place a man’s head on stone.

have three men stand on

 

his arms; have three men

stand on his legs. lodge a

stick in between his teeth.

 

ask him if he supports Aguinaldo,

and if he wants a syringe or bamboo pole

but remember: just have that cure ready!

 

if he still remains

quiet, let the cure flow into

his mouth and nose.

 

side effects include making him

swell like a toad! but don’t worry,

that’s an easy fix: jump on the stomach,

 

see a geyser spew. repeat, if necessary,

even with bruises and broken

teeth, until you hear the truth—

 

a confession that he was saved

by god; a confession

that he should have not been saved—

 

 

William’s Bio: 

I am currently a senior majoring in Economics, English, and Cinema Studies. In the fall, I will be attending Queens College for my MFA in Poetry. 

William wrote this poem in his Independent Study in Poetry course overseen by Susan Miller.