Roman Orgy in the Time of Caesars, Henryk Siemiradzki
These past weeks summer’s been fat
and relentless blowing full sweat
into our faces a hot pasty wind
floating cooking spices and loose peals
of women’s laughter up and down
the block and a faint scent of orange
rinds lifting from the twilight lawns
voices moisten
and close-kept knees unhasp
we’re deep into Caesar’s season
you can hear the orgasmic rasp
of marital betrayals if your heart
works hard enough remembering
Hecate’s cat-cry and loins rioting
as they used to under a burning moon ∎
