Malay Looking Toward Heaven 南洋人 , 18th century
Wood, Japan, 10.7 x 3.2 x 2.6 cm
Image courtesy of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
It’s 11:56 am. On a tree outside the prison yard, swallows feed on juicy green [plural noun] masked among green leaves. A polyester blue rope wound and [verb]ed into seven nooses, two executioners in blue jeans, windbreakers, and ski masks [verb] nearby. Prison guards roll out a wheeled metal platform for all seven of the [plural noun] to stand on at once. The prisoners are [verb]ed from their cells to the wobbly platform. In a nearby tower, a sentry [verb]ing a machine gun wipes his forehead with a sleeve. He’s thirsty, and has to wait until after the [plural noun] to get [noun]. Two guards climb onto the platform and crown, one by one, seven unguarded [plural noun] with vivid blue rope. The [plural noun] of one waiting executioner are suddenly itchy. He tries to alleviate the itch with subtle hip gyrations, but it doesn’t help. He puts his hand in his pocket, pretending to search for something, but it doesn’t work. He has to [verb] until the [noun] is over. He doesn’t have to wait long. With a signal from a prison guard, he and the other man take their places behind the [noun]. An airplane carves through the air above their heads. One prisoner turns his face up, trying to [verb] it. The two masked men yank the legs of the platform, toppling it onto its side. Quivers, [plural noun], the sound of a windowless [noun].