Punishment

She chose a whip
with a short stout
stump and a long
lash she cracked
it on the prisoner's
back then in the air
an angry photograph
of the lash appeared
across the tortured
puckered skin very
upset with herself
she crashed the lash
again and again then
she threw the unclean
thing across the room
letting it clank the
bottles settled there
only to lie like a dead
snake:  the prisoner was
on the floor on his face
panting quiescent he had
fallen on the heap of
his outer clothing.