The elders gathered

The elders of the tribe gathered

To bathe in a tar pit

Inhale the toxic fumes deeply

Preserve their suicide

For their children to relive throughout time

Believing it was a necessary

And honorable sacrifice

To count the many blessings

Of those enshrouded

Whose bones will never turn brittle

Whose skin will never rot

Boiling in the black cauldron

Of their dubious plot