The Stripling
Dante Micheaux
The field soldiers remember the triumph,
a lithe boy’s naal on the head of giant,
before the king rode through the ranks
to inquire about his parentage or the prince
had him bathed, his hair scented with sweet herbs.
After the crowds dwindled, because neither
one’s cunning nor the adulation of the victorious
are nourishment, and the battle, having made him
hungry, alone and in silence, the boy
slowly ate the brain of the giant.
A stripling, to tell the truth, the boy grew—
mad with the taste—savored the giant brain
and learned its ways, became a giant,
begat giants, who craved and ate all
the people in the land, except their own.
About This Poem
“‘The Stripling’ is the marriage of a thematic obsession with beautiful boys (in this case, the youthful, ruddy and handsome David) and history’s tendency to perpetually recast the underdog and the favorite in its oldest stories.”
—Dante Micheaux
Dante Micheaux is the author of Amorous Shepherd (Sheep Meadow Press, 2010). He is completing a study on literary influence and sexuality. He lives in London.
Joe
The Closet Professor 
September 15th, 2015 at 11:04 am
My only question – what does ‘naal’ mean? (in context, is it akin to gnawing?)
September 15th, 2015 at 7:55 pm
Naal in Hebrew means shoe or sandal. I meant to add that as a footnote.
September 15th, 2015 at 8:28 pm
I like that better than my guess. It does so much more for the characterization of a victor. There is already emphasis on the proceeds of the victory.
September 15th, 2015 at 8:31 pm
I agree. I liked the poem for its story of David and Goliath. The whole eating Goliath’s brains thing kind of threw me, though.
September 15th, 2015 at 8:35 pm
Eating the brain of a powerful opponent has been done in more than one culture. I look at it more as a metaphor for David grabbing power and bringing his people along with him.
September 15th, 2015 at 8:37 pm
Yeah. I know. It’s just the image stuck in my head and I thought gross. LOL
September 15th, 2015 at 8:40 pm
Lol! No doubt! I think that’s why contemplation of the metaphor came so easily. My conscious thoughts shied away from that image.