Lack of Olive Oil for Cooking and Cleaning

Modern poetry modern verse contemporary poetry contemporary verse modern poem contemporary poem

When Alexander’s men learned they were out

Of olive oil, or nearly out, they stopped.

They halted. They began to soldier pout.

They sat down on their soldier bums. They plopped

Down mutely on their military butts.

It wasn’t just that they were fearful that

Cooked food would stop. They didn’t like their nuts

Would smell because they couldn’t scrape their splat

Of pubic hair to make them clean to lick

In bed. They knew that soon their armpits, ink

Black hair especially, would make them sick

With stench and make their fellow soldiers stink.

They just refused commands till strigils had

The oil required to stop them smelling bad.

……….