The only audience you have
to impress is yourself. Only
the only audience you have
is yourself. Only, not the truth

(since the true disappeared in
smoke, and fire, and limb) as god
forsaken, crawled up the hill-path
and faces dissolved around it

pliant in itself but shaming
others through inadequacy,
the old past-time of public shame
which gods performed to each other

and now humans performed to god
who performed supposedly for
or against itself. “Only god
only knows what is happening

to us.” said one roman soldier
and the other twirled his skirt up
and around the index finger
before responding. “Have you read

and reread Ovid, Catullus?”
then “no” then… “then I don’t know what
you’re worried for.” Then they stand there
like the great sun god apollo