Our Blessed Technologies, Their Barbarous Technologies
There is a planet where the women
prevent unwanted births
by going to consult a wizard
He casts a spell upon their wombs
brandishing an instrument
reforged from melted coins
The spell inflicts a pain
that far exceeds all other pain
they’ve ever known
and sometimes it drags on
for a draconian length of time
as the spell’s tendrils often fail
to penetrate the womb’s full depth
and must be knuckled into place
all while the women hiss and grit
No anesthesia’s given
The wizard tells the women pain is rare
and complications too are rare
although at times
the tendrils of the spell escape the womb
and plant long barbs in nearby organs