Lyvia
was in her standing position, her legs open,
her ankles nailed to the crossbar, her feet
not touching the ground. Her arms stretched
over the crossbar, her hands nailed, her shoulders
tied to the wood, her mouth and neck fasten
to the crossbar, her eyes wide open, looking
up at the sky above.
Rachel was looking
at the spectacle of the woman she now saw as
her family, suffering the pain of her execution.
Lyvia was raised
slowly, she could not scream because the rope
in her mouth was like a gag that prevented her
from letting a sound come out. The weigth of
the crossbar at her feet pulled and stretched
her body down as it went up the post.
When her head reached
the very top of the post, the rope raising her
was fixed to the post. Her body was hanging
from the crossbar attached to her arms by the
nails and ropes. Her feet felt the pull of the
woode that kept her legs open.
She could not move
her head as the ropes over her mouth and neck
kept her staring at the sky. The sun was high
over her and its heat was on her face.
The soldiers afixed
the crossbar holding her ankles to the post,
giving Lyvia some relief as the wood was no
longer pulling her down. Her whole body was
now in a fixed position, breathing became easier
and the pain was a little less.
The crowds saw that
the process was almost complete. Some began
to walk away, others stayed on to see how long
Lyvia would last.
Rachel approached
the post to look at the woman painfully perched
at the top. She was allowed because after haging
a victim family and friends were allowed to
approach them, to talk to them, to say goodbye. |
