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Glenn Logan
Member
since 2001-10-10
Posts 111
Virginia

0 posted 2001-10-10 05:33 PM


NOTES FOR THE POEM, "OSAMA BIN LADEN"


Assassins: Although this word now can refer to any persons who kill others for political, religious, or ideological reasons, it began an Arabic term, hashshashin, meaning hashhash users, for members of a Moslem secret society who, during the time of the Crusades, killed Christians or other enemies while under the influence of that drug.

Huitzilopochtli: The Aztec tribal god, to whom sacrifices of human hearts were offered in great abundance.

Koran or Qu'ran: Principal holy book of the Moslems. Education in some conservative Moslem countries consists almost entirely in memorizing this Seventh-century work by the Prophet Mohammad.

Moloch: Biblical name for a sun or fire god worshiped by several peoples in the ancient Middle East, including some erring Israelites. Children sacrificed to this god were made to "pass through fire."

Kali: Hindu goddess of creation and destruction, usually depicted wearing a necklace of skulls. Best known in the West for killings carried out in her honor by the Thugs (q.v.)

"make … blood run like water." See Huitzilopochtli, supra.

Tezcatlipoca: The Aztec god of the night, whose name means "obsidian [black] mirror," and for whom human hearts also were torn from living human victims.

"skin your daughter": reference to the Aztec's provocation of a war with a neighboring city-state by skinning the daughter of the visiting king of the neighboring state, supposedly as a sacrifice to the god Xipe Totec.

Thugs: Anglicization of the Hindi term Thuggee, the members of a cult who worshipped the goddess Kali by strangling mostly passing travelers.

Tlazolteotl: Aztec goddess of childbirth, but also the "eater of filth," whose actions cleansed the soul, and prepared sinners for death.

The author: My book, "Prayers to a Dead God: 125 Poems," published in January of 2001, is available through online booksellers.


Copyright © 2001 Glenn Logan
glennlogan@yahoo.com



© Copyright 2001 Glenn Logan - All Rights Reserved
Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354
Listening to every heart
1 posted 2001-10-10 05:47 PM



Glenn, I've moved this to "Announcements and Links" as this is not a poem.  However, a link will be added to it so people can find your poem in Open #16.  Thanks!

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