Lying on the rolled out rug,
a gift of epic proportions,
the usurper to a brother's throne
waits patiently
plotting with passion and petulance.
Although a vision in what the gods
hath wrought
kohl and vermilion enhance the product,
its perfection mirrored in the greedy eyes
of one so old, so beset upon by enemies everywhere
that he would actually believe such a gift came
freely and without encumbrance.
With a nicely turned phrase,
the moist upturned lips
does she cast her net on Rome,
the bounty well worth the price,
although with it she would lose one weight
and gain another;
both men brothers in her arms.
Her charms engaged the enemy,
her prodigy cemented her fame,
and the actions of a harlot
would decide both her fate
and her enduring place in the annals of history;
just a woman who could rely on the kindness
of strangers.
(c) ArdentTly
051001