Caesar's Slave

They say that Caesar, for his triumphs, had
a special slave. His job: to walk behind
the chariot, the purple robes of state
the laurel wreaths in which the man was clad
and whisper, “Caesar, keep this in your mind:
you too must die. Do not forget. The great
are not immortal.” Ancient wisdom, that,
perhaps worth saving for the modern age
when triumphs are declared at ruler’s whim
and uphill battles redefined as flat.
Trajectories are drawn on every page
describing the ballistics we call spin,
that hide the looming shadow of the grave
and smiles upon the face of Caesar’s slave.

--for Writer's Island


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