Poem: "The Separation of Powers"
This poem came out of the October 1, 2024 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by janetmiles. It also fills the "Promise me you won't freak out." square in my 10-1-24 card for the Fall Fest Bingo. This poem belongs to the series Quixotic Ideas.
Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes angst, kidnapping, trafficking in sapient species (including but not limited to humans), bondage, trust issues, body separation, freaking out, violent self-defense, and other mayhem. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
"The Separation of Powers"
Just when Datu thought that
things couldn't get worse,
they definitely got worse.
He had been worrying about
school and bills and all, then
his job interview turned out
to be a trap set by traffickers.
The centaurs had shut him
in a storeroom, which was
bad enough, but when they
brought in a girl as well,
then they decided to tie
their captives to a post
for better security.
So now Datu was
stiff and sore, and
the rope cinched
around their waists
was making it hard
to breathe, let alone
figure a way to escape.
"Hello," said the girl. She
was pretty enough, though
her long black hair had
an odd green sheen. "I'm
Luntian. Who are you?"
"Datu," he said. No need
to be rude, even if they
were in dire circumstances.
"So, would you describe
yourself as a calm person?"
Luntian asked. "Generally?"
"Why?" Datu said warily.
"Things are about to get ...
a bit peculiar," said Luntian.
"About to get?" Datu screeched.
"We've both been captured by
deranged centaurs, locked
in a storeroom, and slated
to get sold at auction! For
who knows what purposes!"
"Yes, well, I can get us out of
here, but you're going to have
to trust me," said Luntian.
"Fine. I trust you." Datu
didn't see any other options.
"Promise me you won't freak out,"
Luntian insisted. "I can't do this
alone. It has some drawbacks."
"All right, all right, I promise,"
Datu said. "Anything to get
out of this awful mess."
He heard a wet slurp,
and suddenly the rope
constricting his middle
went slack and slithered
down toward his ankles.
Datu kicked it off and
then turned around.
Luntian's lower half still
leaned against the post.
Her upper half hovered
above it on batlike wings,
trailing something that looked
like wriggling pink intestines.
Her golden skin had turned
dark, her hair was all green,
she had fangs and claws,
and her emerald eyes now
glowed an ominous ruby.
Datu choked off a scream.
Luntian waved her hands
in a frantic shushing motion.
"What are you?" Datu said.
"I'm a bagwis -- a winged spirit,
a shapeshifter," said Luntian.
"Manananggal," Datu said
as he eyed her two halves.
"That's a very rude word,"
said Luntian. "We call
ourselves bagwis instead."
"Are you planning to eat me?"
said Datu. "I've heard of that."
"You promised not to freak out!"
Luntian scolded. "Now grab
my legs and let's get going."
"What?" Datu said faintly,
staring at her lower half.
"Pick them up!" said Luntian.
"I can't move them like this."
Datu tried several ways,
then realized to his horror
that only one would be secure.
Groaning, he propped her crotch
over his shoulder and wrapped
an arm around one of her legs.
"But how do we get out of
this storeroom?" Datu said.
"The door's still locked."
"Oh, that," said Luntian,
putting her face to the lock.
Datu couldn't see what she did,
but the door soon swung open.
They hurried into the hallway
and began looking for a way
out of whatever building it was.
They hadn't gotten very far
when a clatter of hooves and
hoarse shouts alerted them that
their absence had been noticed.
Several centaurs charged
toward the fleeing captives.
Luntian opened her mouth
and a long tongue darted out
to stab the centaur guards.
More came, though, and
Luntian couldn't keep up
with the increasing threat.
"We need to get out of here,"
Datu said, clutching her legs.
"My thoughts exactly." Luntian
toward a loading window with
glass protected by shutters.
"Whatever you do, Datu,
do not drop my legs!"
"Wait, what?" Datu said.
Then he found himself
grabbed and hoisted
high into the air.
Oh. Not intestines
after all. Tentacles.
He was swinging wildly
under Luntian's upper half
as she flew toward --
"Not the window,
not the window!"
Datu screamed.
Her fists hit it first,
shattering glass and
wood around them
as they tumbled out
into the wide open sky.
The centaurs shouted
and swore behind them,
but only a few stray arrows
arced past them as they
dodged around other roofs.
It didn't take long for them
to get quite far away -- Luntian
was fast as well as strong.
Soon she lowered them
into a neighborhood park.
"Put my legs down, please,"
Luntian said, and Datu did,
desperately glad to get
her crotch off his shoulder.
Luntian drifted down, inserted
her tentacles into her waist,
and pulled on her lower half
like it was a pair of pants.
"Couldn't you have done that
earlier so I didn't have to carry
half of you?" Datu complained.
"No, it doesn't work that way.
If I'm touching myself, then
the halves want to rejoin,"
said Luntian. "Besides, I
had to carry all of you."
"What the hell was that
all about?" he demanded.
"The separation of powers,"
Luntian said with a shrug.
"What's that supposed
to mean?" Datu said.
"It's simple," said Luntian.
"I can do a lot of things, but I
still can't do everything at once.
I can look like a beautiful woman,
or I can fly -- but not both together.
Separation of powers, conservation
of energy. Everything balances out."
"I feel incredibly imbalanced,"
Datu admitted. "This is just ...
more than I can handle."
Luntian sighed. "You
can go. We're out of --"
Hooves galloped past.
"I changed my mind,"
Datu said, clutching her.
"You're not weird, I'm fine,
now let's get more distance
between us and that herd
of thundering thugs."
"Then grab my legs,"
Luntian said as she
separated again.
"All right, I've got you,"
Datu said, and slung
her legs securely
over his shoulder.
Her tentacles wrapped
around him and lifted him up.
This time, Datu didn't freak out.
* * *
Notes:
Datu is a human who has tawny-fair skin, almond-shaped black eyes, and short black hair. He is kidnapped by centaurs for the slave trade, but escapes with the help of the bagwis woman Luntian.
Luntian is a bagwis. Her human form has golden-fair skin, wide green eyes, and black hair with a green sheen. Her alternate form has dark skin, wide glowing red eyes, and green hair; sharp fangs and claws, a hollow prehensile tongue of great length; and big bat-like wings. She can separate the top half from the bottom half, trailing tentacles that look like intestines. She is super-strong in this form and can carry a grown man. Luntian is kidnapped by centaurs for the slave trade, but she escapes with the help of the human man Datu.exterminatorThe
* * *
(literally, "remover" or "separator") is a mythical creature in the Philippines that is able to separate its upper torso from the lower part of its body. Their fangs and wings give them a vampire-like appearance.
To feed, the self-segmenter chooses an isolated place where she will leave her lower torso while she hunts at night. When she separates from her lower torso, she then gains her ability to fly. She then goes off in search of houses where pregnant women reside. Upon choosing a suitable victim, the Manananggal alights on the house and inserts her tongue through the roof. The tongue is long, hollow and extremely flexible.
But during the night, she becomes her true self. She grows huge bat-like wings from her arms. She has an elongated proboscis-like tongue. Her teeth become daggers in her mouth. Her eyes glow red.
The Manananggal have wide eyes and wild hair. Its teeth have the ability to sprout into fangs and its fingers can change into long, sharp claws.
Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes angst, kidnapping, trafficking in sapient species (including but not limited to humans), bondage, trust issues, body separation, freaking out, violent self-defense, and other mayhem. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
"The Separation of Powers"
Just when Datu thought that
things couldn't get worse,
they definitely got worse.
He had been worrying about
school and bills and all, then
his job interview turned out
to be a trap set by traffickers.
The centaurs had shut him
in a storeroom, which was
bad enough, but when they
brought in a girl as well,
then they decided to tie
their captives to a post
for better security.
So now Datu was
stiff and sore, and
the rope cinched
around their waists
was making it hard
to breathe, let alone
figure a way to escape.
"Hello," said the girl. She
was pretty enough, though
her long black hair had
an odd green sheen. "I'm
Luntian. Who are you?"
"Datu," he said. No need
to be rude, even if they
were in dire circumstances.
"So, would you describe
yourself as a calm person?"
Luntian asked. "Generally?"
"Why?" Datu said warily.
"Things are about to get ...
a bit peculiar," said Luntian.
"About to get?" Datu screeched.
"We've both been captured by
deranged centaurs, locked
in a storeroom, and slated
to get sold at auction! For
who knows what purposes!"
"Yes, well, I can get us out of
here, but you're going to have
to trust me," said Luntian.
"Fine. I trust you." Datu
didn't see any other options.
"Promise me you won't freak out,"
Luntian insisted. "I can't do this
alone. It has some drawbacks."
"All right, all right, I promise,"
Datu said. "Anything to get
out of this awful mess."
He heard a wet slurp,
and suddenly the rope
constricting his middle
went slack and slithered
down toward his ankles.
Datu kicked it off and
then turned around.
Luntian's lower half still
leaned against the post.
Her upper half hovered
above it on batlike wings,
trailing something that looked
like wriggling pink intestines.
Her golden skin had turned
dark, her hair was all green,
she had fangs and claws,
and her emerald eyes now
glowed an ominous ruby.
Datu choked off a scream.
Luntian waved her hands
in a frantic shushing motion.
"What are you?" Datu said.
"I'm a bagwis -- a winged spirit,
a shapeshifter," said Luntian.
"Manananggal," Datu said
as he eyed her two halves.
"That's a very rude word,"
said Luntian. "We call
ourselves bagwis instead."
"Are you planning to eat me?"
said Datu. "I've heard of that."
"You promised not to freak out!"
Luntian scolded. "Now grab
my legs and let's get going."
"What?" Datu said faintly,
staring at her lower half.
"Pick them up!" said Luntian.
"I can't move them like this."
Datu tried several ways,
then realized to his horror
that only one would be secure.
Groaning, he propped her crotch
over his shoulder and wrapped
an arm around one of her legs.
"But how do we get out of
this storeroom?" Datu said.
"The door's still locked."
"Oh, that," said Luntian,
putting her face to the lock.
Datu couldn't see what she did,
but the door soon swung open.
They hurried into the hallway
and began looking for a way
out of whatever building it was.
They hadn't gotten very far
when a clatter of hooves and
hoarse shouts alerted them that
their absence had been noticed.
Several centaurs charged
toward the fleeing captives.
Luntian opened her mouth
and a long tongue darted out
to stab the centaur guards.
More came, though, and
Luntian couldn't keep up
with the increasing threat.
"We need to get out of here,"
Datu said, clutching her legs.
"My thoughts exactly." Luntian
toward a loading window with
glass protected by shutters.
"Whatever you do, Datu,
do not drop my legs!"
"Wait, what?" Datu said.
Then he found himself
grabbed and hoisted
high into the air.
Oh. Not intestines
after all. Tentacles.
He was swinging wildly
under Luntian's upper half
as she flew toward --
"Not the window,
not the window!"
Datu screamed.
Her fists hit it first,
shattering glass and
wood around them
as they tumbled out
into the wide open sky.
The centaurs shouted
and swore behind them,
but only a few stray arrows
arced past them as they
dodged around other roofs.
It didn't take long for them
to get quite far away -- Luntian
was fast as well as strong.
Soon she lowered them
into a neighborhood park.
"Put my legs down, please,"
Luntian said, and Datu did,
desperately glad to get
her crotch off his shoulder.
Luntian drifted down, inserted
her tentacles into her waist,
and pulled on her lower half
like it was a pair of pants.
"Couldn't you have done that
earlier so I didn't have to carry
half of you?" Datu complained.
"No, it doesn't work that way.
If I'm touching myself, then
the halves want to rejoin,"
said Luntian. "Besides, I
had to carry all of you."
"What the hell was that
all about?" he demanded.
"The separation of powers,"
Luntian said with a shrug.
"What's that supposed
to mean?" Datu said.
"It's simple," said Luntian.
"I can do a lot of things, but I
still can't do everything at once.
I can look like a beautiful woman,
or I can fly -- but not both together.
Separation of powers, conservation
of energy. Everything balances out."
"I feel incredibly imbalanced,"
Datu admitted. "This is just ...
more than I can handle."
Luntian sighed. "You
can go. We're out of --"
Hooves galloped past.
"I changed my mind,"
Datu said, clutching her.
"You're not weird, I'm fine,
now let's get more distance
between us and that herd
of thundering thugs."
"Then grab my legs,"
Luntian said as she
separated again.
"All right, I've got you,"
Datu said, and slung
her legs securely
over his shoulder.
Her tentacles wrapped
around him and lifted him up.
This time, Datu didn't freak out.
* * *
Notes:
Datu is a human who has tawny-fair skin, almond-shaped black eyes, and short black hair. He is kidnapped by centaurs for the slave trade, but escapes with the help of the bagwis woman Luntian.
Luntian is a bagwis. Her human form has golden-fair skin, wide green eyes, and black hair with a green sheen. Her alternate form has dark skin, wide glowing red eyes, and green hair; sharp fangs and claws, a hollow prehensile tongue of great length; and big bat-like wings. She can separate the top half from the bottom half, trailing tentacles that look like intestines. She is super-strong in this form and can carry a grown man. Luntian is kidnapped by centaurs for the slave trade, but she escapes with the help of the human man Datu.exterminatorThe
* * *
(literally, "remover" or "separator") is a mythical creature in the Philippines that is able to separate its upper torso from the lower part of its body. Their fangs and wings give them a vampire-like appearance.
To feed, the self-segmenter chooses an isolated place where she will leave her lower torso while she hunts at night. When she separates from her lower torso, she then gains her ability to fly. She then goes off in search of houses where pregnant women reside. Upon choosing a suitable victim, the Manananggal alights on the house and inserts her tongue through the roof. The tongue is long, hollow and extremely flexible.
But during the night, she becomes her true self. She grows huge bat-like wings from her arms. She has an elongated proboscis-like tongue. Her teeth become daggers in her mouth. Her eyes glow red.
The Manananggal have wide eyes and wild hair. Its teeth have the ability to sprout into fangs and its fingers can change into long, sharp claws.