THEN FALL, CAESAR

03 15 14

My cronies were adept
at running on repentant swords

I preferred my infamy
in run-on sentences
of third-person propaganda
Even in the wet-backed wheeze
of my final breath
I retained the discipline
to do my kin proud
and turn around to
say goodbye to myself

I required no muse
to compose an immortality
assuring elegy
yet I cannot shirk a nod of gratitude
for how you dangled the phonetic
mastery of this identity
over noble Brutus

Only suicide allowed
a reinstatement of nobility
to the one who introduced himself
with a Brute syllable

I was justified to distrust
the one who thought too much
Such men devour the cerebrum of
the noble herd made content by
swallowing the spirits of assumed
good intentions

Author's Note

Reviews

[Sophy Freebirds]

"Et tu Brutus??".... what a betrayal! ! Still he stayed strong. "Noble brutus".. dripping with sarcasm. :p.. well this was a piece in which you have writren expertly about how Caesar felt. As a hero you have portrayed his reaction on his betrayal... he will not let heads of his kin be low at any cost but the betrayal by "brute brutus" led to his ultimatte downfall... :) something new something refreshing

~Sophy

[kublakhan27]

Yes, 'but Brutus is an honorable man' ;P This is my favourite play, it's the first one I read in school, and it's the one that ravages my conscience like no other play or other piece of literature I've ever come across since...I'm obsessed with betrayal and the circumstances that give birth to it, not to mention the fallout that follows...I sent this one to you because I knew you'd understand where I'm coming from...thanks so much Sophy, it means a lot to me that you enjoyed this one :)

[Sophy Freebirds]

Lol i studied this too in school :D.... and i like this tragic stuff... a lot!!!.. but i also like to laugh with romantic comedies "As you like it". :) was a pleasure steve..

[kublakhan27]

Haha I've only read that one once, I'm too absorbed in the tragedies ;) I guess Midsummer Night would be my favourite comedy...geez, I just remembered I also have one called Goodfellow's Version, which also happens to be one of my published pieces...I don't like bombarding people with my stuff though haha One of my all-time favourite lines though: Speak low if you speak love ;)

[Sophy Freebirds]

God!! Steve do yourself a favour.. read comedies :p..... i would love to see your new version.. lol

[kublakhan27]

Haha I've read many of them, I just don't get the same creative inspiration from them...I have a harder time relating to the comedic characters...though Orsino the Duke has inspired me to start something...I haven't gone back to it in ages though haha

[Frieda P]

You know full well I'm not a Shakespeare buff, but you don't have to be to enjoy this amazing write. I feel the betrayal but also read survival here. As poets, we raise our s/words and carry on....I love how you said goodbye to yourself, that's priceless...and this was my favorite Dali. ;-)

I required no muse
to compose an immortality
assuring elegy
yet I cannot shirk a nod of gratitude
for how you dangled the phonetic
mastery of this identity
over noble Brutus

Sounds like the best kind of revenge to me....prodigious in its historic value and intent, and the way you charmed me into reading faux Shakespeare (I like yours muchly better) and enjoying it nonetheless! Bravo, standing ovation Steve.

[kublakhan27]

Haha Grinning big-time here Mrs.R ;) I knew I'd have to write it so that it would be accessible to everyone since most people are not Shakespeare buffs haha As you can probably guess, I was eager to get your take on it to see how I did. So glad you enjoyed it my dear, that means a lot :) xo

[♔ CrownedDevil &#..]

Simply amazing write. Awesome job. :-D

Kaze~

[kublakhan27]

Thanks so much Kaze :D

[♔ CrownedDevil ☾]

Your very welcome. :-D

[jacob erin-cilberto]

great play on words here, steve...

masterful use of Roman history and semantics..."render unto caesar what is caesar's and render unto the grammar gods what is theirs"
jacob

[kublakhan27]

Haha Love the paraphrased citation my friend...it is paraphrased I think? If not, my bad :)

So glad you enjoyed this homage to my favourite play on this most infamous day, thank you Jacob.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, paraphrased from the play with a little of me added...

[Caradoc]

This is fantastic. I remember reading the play in junior high. Stanzas 3 and 4 are my favorites. It is an immortal final utterance.

Excellent work my friend and very appropriate for today. You also get bonus points for the cover pic. :)

-Caradoc

[kublakhan27]

That's also where I read it for the first time, probably where a lot of people were first introduced to it. To this day it is my favourite play and I was determined to get something written before the anniversary expired...this was a bit rushed as a result haha

So glad you enjoyed it my friend, I've been hoping for some input from those familiar with the play to know if I did alright :)

[Caradoc]

I'd say you did it very well.

[Caradoc]

Read this again. I love this piece. Adding it to my favorites. :)

[kublakhan27]

A million thanks my friend...your support is invaluable :)

[A. Amos]

Loved the structure here, great details, and awesome finish!
I thoroughly enjoyed your work and ideas within this poem. Wonderful piece my friend...

[kublakhan27]

Thanks so much A...truth be told, I wish I had more time to work with this, but it's my favourite play and I just had to get something in before the anniversary expired ;)

[A. Amos]

I think you did great my and blue oyster cult are truly amazing, so the whole experience was cool and you're most welcome buddy