David X Novak
  • Home
  • About
  • Poetry
  • Plays
  • Prose
  • Books
  • News
  • Contact

Themis

4/9/2017

 

​That military losses come
    Is sure when empires falter,
But when the rules of law succumb
    'Tis very hard to alter:
The poor go begging for a crumb
    But only find a halter.

A frivolous captain at the helm
    Is driven toward fiasco;
When circumstances overwhelm
    He's nobody to ask O
— 
But the convulsions of a realm
    Are not soothed by Tabasco.

When wounds are self-inflicted there's
    No way to lend shit polish,
As when a faction, self-awares
    Opts fair play to abolish,
But, owl-like, every man repairs
    To small game, feeling owlish.

The scales of justice Themis holds
    Skew wild when you assault her;
A Mitch McConnell scolds and scolds,
    Himself virtue's defaulter;
And empires crash, when honor folds,
    Like waves into Gibraltar.

Comments are closed.
    Picture

    News?

    A new poem is always news to the poet.
    ​Or whatever.

    Archives

    April 2020
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed