The Deadly Game of Power
The incongruous eye of the mind
sees Joseph Stalin dancing around tables
in the formal dining rooms of the Kremlin
dressed in fake Indian outfits, in order to
reenact scenes from his favorite book,
the German translation of The Last of the Mohicans.
Kremlin guests cowered in terrified silence.
Should they laugh? Cower? Applaud? Try to escape?
They were too stunned to think what this show meant for them.
Here was a man responsible for over 20 million deaths,
arguably the greatest butcher the world has ever known,
playing at Indian games. For fun!
Meanwhile his daughter came in and ordered him
to bark like a dog or run in circles for her, thus making
his reign of terror maddeningly complete.
– gary lehmann