The Arch of Daniel

By Betsy Cutler Schreiber

Saw the Arch of Titus today.
Fought the simmering heat.
Temporary relief
of a cool ancient fountain found
triumphs to conquering Jews.
Not news.
Having evicted us from our homes,
they carried away our menorah
and marched with our tomes.
They planted their own in their stead,
a statue of Caesar, a porcine head.

I took a snapshot of our son
cooling himself with a quick rinse
having marched through the gate in fun.
How many tyrants have passed through since,
have triumphed leaving bloody footprints?

Sitting to rest near the conquerors’ arch,
my son, at eleven, wanly grimaces for another photo-op.
He conquers ignorance,
conquers his feeling of solitude and extinction.

And I, watching him in a trance
marvel at the heat of Rome in summer,
and control... a desire... to dance.

2 Comments Posted

	By Betsy Cutler Schreiber More articles... \|
	Betsy Cutler Schreiber is a speech language pathologist by day, poetess and artist in between.

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Reader Comments
Latest Comments:

Posted: Dec 1, 2007

this poem is trumphant - simply and magnificently at the same time - the dialogue between the eleven year old and his history. it's beautiful! i loved reading it. the rhythm, the ocasional rhyme... thank you!

Posted By chanah

Posted: July 1, 2007

i liked this poem; the imagery especially; it offered a lot of lyric energy. very nice.

Posted By Tovli