Some Old Poetry

I've decided to post a short series of poems I wrote five or so years ago—the first real public exhibition of my work. I had a lot of fun trying my hand at poetry at the time, and I've recently begun to dabble a bit once more. Perhaps some of the less embarrassing examples will find their way onto this blog.

The following poem was one of my first, written very much in a self-conscious epic style typical of the Romantics. Though the poem begins—in emblematic Romantic fashion—by extolling the glory of the classical era, the second half does an about-face and exhibits some modern skepticism viz. the "false reverence" paid to the vision of Ancient Rome.

Comments/mockery, as always, are welcome. Enjoy.

The Glory of Rome (?)

I walked with you on Tiber's bank,

When all of Rome did sleep;

Her waters rose up, foul and rank,

Called forth by summer heat;

The full moon dashed with muted force

Upon a dome of glare,

And no point on the river’s course,

Did her reflection bear;

The city choked on her own breath,

And hacked it up in plumes,

Which pressed upon our lungs like death,

These sulfur-laden fumes;

We stood upon an ancient tomb,

A thousand levels deep,

With skeletons lying half-exhumed,

Protruding in the streets;

The Dubai Back Channel

I recently returned from the two-day marquee counter-piracy conference held at the Madinat Jumeirah resort (really, a city within a city) in Dubai:

Madinat Jumeirah, a Dubai Disneyland

As with many of these high-level events, the public discussion was largely contentless and bland, seemingly serving as a requisite smokescreen to justify the back channel schmoozings, cash appeals, and shoulder-rubbing that comprise the real rationale behind such meetings.