Friday, March 14, 2008

After the Ides

In honor of the Ides of March, and for Weekend Wordsmith.

Caesar is dead, have you heard?
They say Brutus did it.
No, but he was behind it.
No, Mark Antony was behind it. That’s what I heard.
Antony will be the new Caesar.
No, Octavianus.
No, Brutus will restore the Republic.
I heard there’s going to be a war.
When isn’t there?
Between Brutus and Antony—that’s what I heard.
I heard Antony’s going back to Egypt.
I heard he’s going to deliver the funeral oration.
Be careful at the market. There might be riots. The people loved Caesar.
As if he ever did anything for us.
He was beloved of the gods.
So they say.
Rome won’t ever be the same after this.
Rome will be better.
Rome will fall. It’s only a matter of time.
I heard the Goths were preparing to invade.
No, the Vandals.
No, the Visigoths. That’s what I heard.
I heard Brutus was under arrest.
I heard Antony was in disgrace.
I heard Octavianus had disappeared.
Do we know anything for sure?
Caesar is dead. That’s what I heard.


Collection available! Knocking from Inside

9 comments:

paisley said...

bravo!! that was perfection... it took me by the hand and carried me the whole way through!!

Rae Trigg said...

Nicely done - I could almost hear people, maybe in a marketplace, discussing the death of Caeser.

Stan Ski said...

ecce romani...!
What goes up must come down - Surely the Romans realised this.

Anonymous said...

Long live Ceaser! Brilliantly captured thought chatter!

Gemma Wiseman said...

This bristles with historical grandeur and lots of ancient venom! Fantastic!

Anonymous said...

ahh politics... creative walk through one day in the life... thank you

Tumblewords: said...

As much as things change... Delightful read!

Linda Jacobs said...

This would be great to share with my tenth-grade students when we read Julius Caesar. Or asan idea to have them write a poem in this style. Thanks! ~Linda Jacobs

Annie Jeffries said...

Fantastic. We have not learned a blessed thing have we?