To Corneille and David

Oath of the Horatii

Hear the oath of the Horatii

cry solidarity for rome,

three strophes

hip hip hooray

no time to weigh

no time to balance

here in perfect paint

you must strike man for

our fatherland, sweet ambition

of antechamber or inner sanctum

cementing solemn resolutions

holy mechanical resolve to place

rigid steely hand and the sword’s

command; see those

three perfect archways,

GLORIOUS,

bolster with their awesome muscle

the imperfect painting

line/emphasized

over coloration/

now hands

[hoorah]

with six swords:

this Ethical Sublime

binary conflicts suffered

and/or surmounted

centered unhinged

the buildingblocks of Lyfe

shown then in self-mastery

centered concentration

resolve so hard and barbarous

no time to balance

no time to weigh

the verses build up

three strophes

surmounted, no...

banish oh banish

your so womanly unresolve

make an example

difficult to equal

No, not so

i believe it all too easy

for your ferocity

surmounted, yes, or

building versed

the stony flight

of the eagle of rome

pain but

let not your tears

the slope of your psyche

womanish contours

because of the bloodletting for Patria

let not your infantile eyes

sloppily sighing sob

shed the impious disgrace

of salty waters for

an enemy behold

as if dead life were

reason for letting go

sign of/

but you’re not even a man

you’re a machine/

how can you rival my

matriarchal oceans

with your barbarous virtue?

womanly fears maybe

even a curse on your

fatherly fatherland

pining for husband

paining for brother

remaining tri-strophic

still but still

we stand

we even stand together

by spine by ground by arms

the columns still support us all

here there are chilly stone foundations

deeply rooted as the common cold