Poetry

Inventing Italics

“… The square-limbed Roman letters …” Jeffers’ term. However, it took a genius to discern They were Italians now, no longer Romans. Rome laid the base in chiseled letters built To last two thousand years, like aqueducts arching. Unchanged, they still stand solid, four-square blocks, Even, both upright and from side to side, Balanced, and not precariously––marching From A to Z.                            Then some Italian tilts The alphabet, the world slides, isn’t spilt, Still holds its footing, still says what it means. In the same breath as standing, though, it leans As if in movement but not moving, yearns On…

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