The Poetry Federation

The Poetry Federation

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The Poetry Federation
The Poetry Federation
Destruction of the Empire

Destruction of the Empire

An ekphrastic poem I posted February 7th, 2024, my second week on Substack, with small revisions. Written in 2017, this poem has the unique distinction of being the first I handwrote.

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Daniel Henderson
Sep 19, 2024
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The Poetry Federation
The Poetry Federation
Destruction of the Empire
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Destruction by Thomas Cole (1863)

Smoke converges above the city of Rome.
A wicked twisted chaotic convergence
colliding to compete over the peons  
below them as if they were mice, 
grasping for forlorn sanctuary.  
The sky’s sea-glass purview
fogged and clouded by smog
bled by the flames that devour 
marble architectures and pedestals.   
A sky of pand…

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