Author Information
At The Cable Buyer's House Near Rome
We trained them first to do each daily chore;
and when they learned it perfectly, like science,
we were inclined to give them even more
responsibility. And this reliance
brightened our present (and the future, hazy).
Such smooth arrangements make men, like me, lazy.
The slaves took care of everything---the homse,
our bodies' needs, the business and its books
(and all that time my profits kept quite stable---
you make some serious money selling cable
to ships). Having acquired the keys and hooks,
our slaves were now positioned to rule Rome.
But they left, and let in barbarians---
unlettered and uncouth fools, and they stink
far worse than any barnyard's pig or goat.
Having depended on slaves for our whole
existence, we had grown impotent and dull,
heavy like large intestine filled to full:
too much effort required to even think,
much less move just a finger (with remote
assistance). Our own sloth has cast its pall
upon us: we cannot do much at all.
Starward
[jlc]
