If You Like Pina Coladas...

And who doesn't? I mean, seriously.

So, tonight's episode of Veronica Mars is definitely a step in the right direction...quite the turnaround from last week. I couldn't be more pleased.

Problem is, I really want to share the best parts, but with the advent of TiVo and DVR, it's possible that people, even those in my time zone, might not be up to speed, and I certainly don't want to spoil it. So I won't, however much pain it brings me.

On the bright side, I've been having a fairly prolific week, as far as writing goes. I'll put the poems up in a bit, but the best part of it all is that I've done it because of--not in spite of--spending hours in front of the television. Let me explain: yesterday, there were a couple of specials on the History Channel...episodes of a series called "Engineering an Empire." Those featured were Rome, with the marvels of Hadrian's wall and the Pantheon, etc. Then on to the Egyptians, and all of the pyramids, the dams, the mud ramps and sand traps to prop obelisques... Very cool. They also shared some smatterings of information about the various reigns of emperors and pharoahs, and that's where the poems originated. It's nice to know that I can write at least some of my sloth off as research for my job which is, of course, writing. At least until May.

Lessons of Empire
Rome

1
the victor in any decent fratricide
will not simply etch out his brother's name
paint a new face on a familial body

no

a good political murder requires evidence
a chipped stone
smudged ink
a brother beheaded in effigy

evidence
anyone can be erased


2
while the baths may be for everyone

warm water spilling from tilted jars
and flowered fountains
steam beading on marble facades
rising to painted dome heavens

someone must stoke the fires

senators will always leave their stains
in the bath house
in the heated sweat of coal caked slaves
the open mouths of bath house queens


3
without water
even a gilt kingdom
will crumble like poorly
mixed concrete

aqueducts are a necessary beauty
an exposed vein
begging for a razor



Stay tuned for Egypt, currently a work in progress.

Song of the moment: "Right Here Waiting for You"~Richard Marx