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Silent Rome

Used as I am to the loud, colorful legions of the 1950s
Your black-and-white silence
Is a strange quietude.
The circus never sends up a sound.
From the Alps to Carthage it’s quiet.
The imperial navy docks noiselessly.
Vesuvius would explode silently,
Cleopatra die as she probably did,
Without a word. Decrees are posted
On the screen. D’Annunzio’s dialogue titles
Give us all the mythography we need.
Dagon’s temple flames will be fed,
The heroine must escape, all without a sound.
The drama of passions . . .
                    The EXIT sign glows,
The red emblem of sad reality. Rome speaking
Would have seemed absurd.
What greater empire than Rome ? What greater
Drama than silence ? What greater rumors than
Perfect whispers written by D’Annunzio ?
The Vandals may leave Vandalusia for conquest
But they go silently, a cloud of dust
To be reckoned with.