all the impish little man did was erase a blackboard
and draw whatever he wanted
then the world would change outside
to his drawing as he looked with smirking satisfaction out the window
he must have been a teacher of some sort
students in the classroom looked on in wonder
as the world changed to fit his whim
which seemed to change with each thought bubble
that appeared above his head
eyes rolled up and turned to vision
all else no longer existent in solipsistic desire
grinning at the shadows falling
and i remembered this image
when reading about tyrants
how the world was just an extension of their whim
and people could be erased
to fit into their narrative
taught to the next generation
bone and not chalk
board into pit
pen and sword not the real issue
but he who could erase the marks of both
and present such as his dreams whispered
echoed down halls leading to ossuary rooms
where the dead were turned into equations
and orders were followed as if off a menu.