Staring at the Ruins of Ancient Rome
Reflections on the cycle of life… as inspired by peeking into ancient history.
today there’s a sapphire sky
painted with calm sweeping brush strokes
carved by stone arches into perfect parabolas
like God let his hand rest here a little long
a woman with a bag so red
it looks like it stole the inside of a flower
has a son who licks faded pink gelato
that tastes like the strawberries were exploded
instead of crushed
feet pressed into cobblestone
we’re all staring like we can actually make something
of this absolute blur of a past
but today I have a sapphire watch band
where time hugs my wrist
circular all the way around
and on its other side
what’s red was blood stained cobblestone
and warriors folded in on themselves
against the sound of silver on silver in the sunlight
trailing flakes of a misremembered past
letting themselves fade to pink as everything is
exploded
I know the arches will carve the sky the other way when they fall.
