I like the magical realism in this poem. Very intriguing, even with the girl not being who she's supposed to be (according to others) all along.

"Saluting her salve." Not only is the 's' alliteration striking, but the little inclusion of Latin made me smile. :)

"A freshly raped slave girl." Ah, yes. I'm glad you placed this line where you did; the tone of the opening of the piece is a bit relatable, but the brutality of this line tied everything together quite nicely.

I liked the internal rhyming in this piece too: like whores/fore(fathers)/storm, thumb/numb, scream/seem, etc.

Excellent. I love how I can read this and feel the dust from the streets in my mouth. The last two lines are spectacular, and I also really like "the fresh staccato sun-heat." It's such an apt description of how the sun feels sometimes, probably even more so in Texas/Ancient Rome. Very nicely done, as always. Keep writing! :)

First of all, your language in this is very pretty. :) You've chosen your words carefully, and it gives this pieces a nice sound and rhythm. Particularly I like this: "like a lighter lover." You had some wonderful alliteration and word play.

The contrast of ancient and modern is interesting in this. I thought you handled it well; the imagery was creative. Vivid.

And I like these lines for several reasons:

A catastrophe along the catacombs,

a freshly raped slave girl sucking back

blood, or a cowboy rerouting a truck route

into the senate building.

"Catastrophe along the catacombs" - great alliteration. Although this piece does not rhyme, you've given it its own rhythm with alliteration like this. And your love is delightful to read; it's somewhere between frank and dignified. Very interesting. Avant garde. :)

A lovely poem!

Kate (EF RG review)

Woah.

The sub-text is in this... truly a Rashomon-esque piece where the scenario can be depicted in so many ways. Definitely adding to my faves.