Merchant traders of Ancient Rome –
Sharp clean-toga entrepreneurs
Seeking out fresh dealerships in Asia
Encountered matriarchal tribes
Of elephants migrating their monsoons –
Rain-season saw them detour by Kashmir
Through fields of the opium poppy
Pausing there for several days
Luxuriantly wallowing in flowers
Crushing pulp and juice
Beneath their lolling weight
Pressing and imbibing poppy wine
When turning ancient faces to the sun
The spiral circles on their trunks
They raised as if presenting royal rings
On creation’s original dreaming
Pre-human Tree of Life
BREAD
Our Gladiatorial Game Show
Grants contestants fifteen minutes fame
Catch your loaves of bread at Intermission
Good Roman bread entirely free
While Senators retire
To revise the worth of your money
Bernard Saint
Illustration: Claire Palmer
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