Jason Brennan: ‘Pillar from a Roman Granary’

Pillar from a Roman Granary

I like to think some wily slave once set

his back against this stone, to rest perhaps

from hauling grain in awkward sacks

off wooden carts then up the broad stone steps.

And did he find a moment to inspect

—when his master’s back was turned—

the deftly-chiseled, outward curve

that signifies a bulging muscle’s strength?

The pillar’s convex line implies more weight

above—impressive now the modest roof.

So why exaggerate the commonplace?

Why, architect, did you embellish truth?

And did the slave see Rome’s omnipotence

or how it buckled under this pretence?

Jason Brennan

The pillar in question can be found in Clifton Park, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, in the remains of a Roman fort, of which the granary was a part.