@ 27.055 MHz: Ad Astra; Vergil At Mantua

". . . macte nova virtute, puer, sic itur ad astra . . ."

---Vergil, The Aeneid, IX


At Pharsalus, hale and hearty Caesar

had many victims to conquer, slay, and destroy:

and you, Poet, still at Mantua,

and still a beautiful, if awkward, boy


lamented the young men's lives so wasted

by Caesar, always provoking a battle;

the screams of their dying ultimately silenced

by the sound of his death wish's rattle.


The thought of that overwhelms most people:

Roman politics plays the ruse to ply the ploy.

Erotic love is a truth of its own

that you and your lover, when naked, enjoy.


Since the two of you have been together,

the power of your juvenile verse has increased---

as if nurtured and sustained by the sweetness

 

that to, and upon, you, he has released.


Starward

[*/+/^]

Author's Notes/Comments: 

The sweetness to which the fifteenth line alludes is, of course, the affection provided by the Poet's lover, his boy friend.

View s74rw4rd's Full Portfolio
patriciajj's picture

Denouncing violence and the

Denouncing violence and the ravenous hunger for power, the Poet represents everything beautiful left in the world. In sharp contrast to the unthinkable carnage, you created a blissful sanctum where "Erotic love is a truth of its own." 

 

The lyrical structure is the perfect foil for the horror beyond as it vibrates with the nurturing sweetness within. The conclusion blossoms with the type of love no army can defeat. Beautifully explosive. Superb. 

S74rw4rd's picture

Thank you very much.  Your

Thank you very much.  Your acceptance---considering the kind of Poet you are---completes and validates my tribute to Vergil (which also allowed me to take a good swing at Julius Caesar).  I apologize for my delay in reply; not intentional, and no disrespect or lack of gratitude intended.


Starward

patriciajj's picture

No apology needed. I know

No apology needed. I know what you're dealing with right now and no response is expected. Only that you know your work is read and appreciated. The swing at Julius was a nice bonus.