barbarians

I loved this article, and not only because it used the word 'codswallop.' Having taken five years of high school Latin, I've been fairly well biased to believe the typical Roman/barbarian distinction made in history books, where (Athens and) Rome were centers of civilization surrounded by hordes of uncivilized tribes. After all, Rome brought us Ovid and Cicero, while 'the rest of Europe' brought us the Huns.

All goes to show the importance of keeping and perserving good records, I guess.

Here's a poem by David Wright, from the New Pantagruel:

Against Nation

You got your swords, plows, assorted hooks–
pruning, fishing,
latches for doors,
needles too many to count.

My desk drawer fills with sharp points, blunt
edges, fasteners, openers, golf tees,
a guitar pick.

I’ve never strummed a single chord, or beaten
anything into anything else useful–
spade from a spent shell,
dulcimer pounded to lonesome tune.

Wreck and reckon.

It will be a battered world
when an echo pierces the skin,
the cluttered air,
our ears and their hammered,
quite delicate drums.