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“Ashurnatsirpal the Third” by Carl Sandburg 🇺🇸 (6 Jan 1878 – 22 Jul 1967)
Three walls around the town of Tela when I came.
They expected everything of those walls; nobody in the town came out to kiss my feet.
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I knocked the walls down, killed three thousand soldiers,
Took away cattle and sheep, took all the loot in sight,
And burned special captives.
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Some of the soldiers—I cut off hands and feet.
Others—I cut off nose, ears, fingers.
Some—I put out the eyes.
I made a pyramid of heads.
I strung heads on trees circling the town.
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When I got through with it
There wasn’t much left of the town of Tela.