The Viceroyalty of New Spain

O
n the western shores of Cuba,
the capital of the viceroyalty
of new spain shines like a
greedy candle sputtering in a smoke-
choked room. Here in Havana,
brightly painted stucco and lush
palm fronds mask the corrupt whims
of the overcrowded metropolis.
Aristocrats, politicians, and
puppet masters pull the strings
of a dying kingdom, their threads
woven from subterfuge and
propaganda. Fortresses armed
with countless cannons guard
an impenetrable harbor where
seasonal treasure fleets amass
before transporting silver,
gold, and ASH back east.

A
cross the sea, at the mouth
of Lake Maracaibo,
the citadel towers over
the nearby jungle like a mass of
razor sharp coral protruding at
high tide. Here the inquisition
weaves its devious web. Their
nest: the endless dungeons
sunken deep beneath the city.
Their prey: countless heretics
forced into endless repentance.
Sailors flee from the cries of
the banshee that haunts
these waters... but it is only
the screams of the damned,
and nothing more.