BARBARIAN
I invented a game for myself
I called it Barbarian
I would climb up to the window in the door and shout loudly BAAARRRRBBBAAAAAAARRIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNN
There was a construction site nearby, lots of trucks
One day, after a dozen successful BARBARIANS
A driver dramatically stopped, jumped down
Ran up the walk and through the door
And committed an act of violence against me
He twisted my ear so hard that I thought of everything
I thought, I don't have earrings anymore
He dragged me through the apartment to another room
Aunt Gayya, who also committed an act of violence against me
Slashing at my sensitive asshole
Then she was feeding me lunch
Explaining slowly and in detail what would happen if Barbarian didn't stop
Ear was fucked, ass too, soup was tasteless
Aunt Gayya is a fool
MASSEY HARRIS is an auction ringman and Caterpillar diesel mechanic. His father Nathaniel wrote "The Flight of the Ray," which won PEN Australia's Fulkner Prize. He lives with his father in Sydney.