A Tale Was Once Told

A tale was once told
Of journeys and pilgrimages
Of penance and repentance
Of redemption and absolution
There were many in that wagon to purgatory.

A scholar who lost his mind
A priest who lost his faith
A general who lost his command
A consul who started a war
A poet who lost his muse
A cyborg who was a man
A detective who lost his evidence
A teacher who lost his voice.

These exiles and renegades
Embarked on this pilgrimage
From Tien Shan mountains
Through Bishkek and Tashkent
Made a stop at Pamir mountains
Made a detour to Herat
And then the long months
Of dark solitude
Of bloodless desert
On the way to Baghdad
Portending the destruction of these magnificent cities
Of Baghdad and of Damascus
How many more will be destroyed?
On this pilgrimage to Aya Sofia?

~As told to MK by a member of the aforementioned troupe, who went by the name MZ