71. Prologue III

With the death of Rome and her son
The world passed onto a new age.
Greece gave us democracy.
Rome gave us republic.
Philosophy and science
Made the world real.
Thousand year empires disappear
Into the ancient dust and ruins of the past.
Religious service
Turned cathedrals gothic
As they threw out old gods
In place of saints and symbols.
Dynasties pass
As Ozymandias statues of Zeus and Athena wear and erode.
Slowly eaten away by acidic rain.
Leaders rise up then they fall
Only to bring in new ones.
“King of kings am I,” the dragon said.
Then came a Greek
Saying “He is dead.”
“King of kings am I,” The Greek one said.
That all changed
With Rome’s crown on her head.
“Queen of Queens, am I,” Rome herself once said.
Now, with Caesar,
She rests her head.
No one worships these forgotten gods.
They play on in fantasy
As ghosts of bygone times.
I wish to stay to play with them
But the muse begs me to push on.
Future pages await.
There are new Ozymandiases to behold
Otherwise they’ll remain unwritten.

67. Rome’s Decedant Decline

Rome wasn’t finished here on earth.

Emperors partied in decadence

Playing fiddles while the city burned.

Her crown became the center for

Distracting people with bread and circus

As lions ate Jew and Christian alike.

Slaves fought each other

While free food was passed out to on looking spectators.

Horses were made state officials.

Emperors believed themselves gods

Relating to Jupiter

Demanding tribute and sacrifice.

They drank wine

But got drunk on power.

Civil wars

Economic crises

All kinds of trials and tribulations

Threatened the sleeping lady Rome.

She was divided into provinces

As she lay on her throne.

Yet she slept there peacefully

Unaware of her keeper.

Blinded only by wealth and games

As emperors became corrupt or mad with power.

The empire fell into decline.

58. The Roman Republic

After the death of Romulus

Six more kings came

Numa, who spoke to the gods.

Tullus, who saw the destruction of Alba Longa.

Ancus, who wrote down religion and ceremonies.

New gods were created.

Zeus became Jupiter.

Hera became Juno.

Athena became Minerva.

Ares became Mars.

Poseidon became Neptune.

Hades became Pluto.

So many others changed their names

New ones were added

From old Latium’s religion.

Lucius, who increased the senate.

Servius, who expanded the vote.

Tarquinius, who terrorized the people

Becoming a tyrant.

The rape and death of Lucretia

Was the last straw.

The tyrant was deposed

The government overthrown

By the faithful women of Rome.

Slowly they settled into a republic

As the social elite saw fit.

Orders struggled for two centuries and five decades

To get their government right.

Patricians were the elite.

Plebeians were on the bottom

But wanted their say.

For years both groups brought turmoil to their beloved city

Until an agreement was made.

The plebeians were granted assembly.

Then Twelve Tables were made

As people climbed the ladder of offices to the consulship.

The senate was reinstated

As judges decided on matters of the state.

Each piece of the republic fell into place

Balancing out government and freedom

Like intricate working cogs of a machine

If one failed

The rest went with it.

57. The Founding of Rome

Fearing their ambition

Two boys of godly birth

Were abandoned in the woods

By Latium’s murderous king.

Found and cared for by a mother wolf

Growing into humble shepherds

Who competed with those of Latium.

Their identity was found

The king deposed

But rejected rule

For lives as subjects to their grandfather.

For a while it was good

But then their fate beckoned

They left

Wanting a city of their own.

They found a place with seven hills

An argument arose

About where the city should go.

Picking two hills,

Both worshiping

Asking for a sign.

Signs came for them

But disagreement arose.

They started to settle.

The Roman on Palatine,

His brother on Aventine.

The brother criticized the Roman’s wall

Leaping over it.

He was killed by the words of the Roman,

“So perish every one that shall hereafter leap over my wall."

With his brother gone,

He continued his building

Regretting what he had done, the Roman honored his brother

With a proper grave.

53. The Rise of Macedon

After the war

Greece fell into turmoil.

Ares,

Athena

All of their allies

Fought for dominance.

Brother against brother.

Greek against Greek.

Ares sold out his countrymen

For a small victory.

Athena was angry for that.

Zeus did nothing to help.

He knew what was coming.

Fate told him a great man would come

To settle everything.

For years the gods made war

As people in the north

Watched.

They called themselves Greeks too

But they looked down on the barbarian southerners.

They had problems of their own.

There was fighting in their land.

Their neighbors gave them problems

While they were in the midst of a civil war.

They were in trouble

A king named Phil arose

To fulfill the prophecy Fate bestowed on Zeus.

Climbing over the fighting and paranoia

Raising his own army

Defeating his neighbors

Uniting the people.

When his work was done in his own land

He looked to the barbarians to the south.

“These stupid men,” he said.

“They need to be taught a lesson.”

“They know nothing about civilized life.”

So pointing his sword he said “Onward!”

Marching south to still the warring gods.