for Lily Darragh
Ptolemy V’s decree, etched black granite,
bore three languages saying the same thing.
Now housed in the British Museum, it’s
called the Rosetta Stone. Pompeii searchings
led archeologists to discover
graffiti -- spontaneous notes on walls --
often gentle jottings left by lovers.
Today your self-portrait seems to recall
both these historic methods, repeating
the same symbols most valued by humans:
Rose and black writings on white wall, singing
their own simple love song, seeming to span
pearl space almost in freefall. Juxtaposed
at its base: you, seated L-shaped, composed.
Roger Armbrust
January 22, 2016
