Fabrizio Moroni

in the old american west
an italian man had been jailed by a local sheriff
whether justly or not
remains unknown

to escape
the man saved up his rations of bread
and beans
and some water
and mixed it into a paste
with the dirt of the floor

and created false lesions
around his eyes
and mouth
giving the impression of having contracted
a terrible disease
leprosy possibly

the next day
when the jailer entered his cell
he pretended to be ill
and hid his face

when the jailer called out
he presented
his fictional visage

the jailer cried out in terror
dropping the keys
and exiting the building

this is how the italian cowboy
made his escape

later
in a nearby stream
he washed off the muddy bean paste
dried his face with a black neckerchief
then wetted it again
and tied it around his neck
still wet
and tromped off
through the brush
on what was to be
the hottest day on record

later
he would stumble onto a fiesta
held in the corral
of Don Joseph

he would be handed
a rustic cup of pulque
and later become a ranch hand
working
until he'd saved enough money
to return to milan
where he worked once more
in the industry of his choice

the fabrication
of morons


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