Tadeusz Pioro

The Manifest
Translated by the author


Cameroon conquered Argentina, but the invincible lions were unmanned

by the Soviet war machine. Czechoslovakia showed the American

opportunists a thing or two about defenestration and laid the Austrian

tyrant to rest. The Scots spiked the guns of the Swedes.

but Costa Rica was their undoing. Germany dismembered

the United Arab Emirates and blew Yugoslavia to bits.

The Arab Emirates were powerless against the confederated

Yugoslavs, who flayed them alive. Italy rode roughshod over

America, while Belgium crushed Uruguay to a pulp.

Teutonic pride was humbled by the trigger-happy Colombians,

Swedish ambition got the third degree from Brazil, and yet it was

Argentina who led that Brazilian samba all the way

to the chair. England barely had time to clip Egypt's wings

before the pharaohs' descendants nipped Ireland in the bud a

nd mummified the Netherlands. Spain bludgeoned Korea

into obedience and Uruguay only hastened their end. The Costa Ricans

put Brazil to the sword but their joy was short-lived, for Czechoslovakia

trod them underfoot. more....

Tadeusz Pióro, Bio


Found at The Cambridge Conference of Contemporary Poetry archive