Julius Caesar

 You wrapped your living soul around a lie;

 A slow decay crept forward, causing truth to die.

The death you chose was poignant, after all—

Like earth from Eden after Adam’s fall.

So, yes, you fell—and dared the crowd to roar;

You cloaked defeat in grace and asked for more—

More limelight, glory, status, fame, and power,

More glamour for the light you lost that hour—

That fateful hour that lengthened into day,

The heavy dusk that carried truth away,

The blackened night that smothered guilty fears,

The gloomy morning broken year by year.

So no one knew the hardened heart you bore,

And seldom flared the shameful lust for more—

But—lo—the lie that you in pride refused to see

Betrayed the empty soul you came to be. 

                              --CJW--