The folly of his headstone

· by · in free verse, napowrimo15, poetry. ·


With wind-up birds and waterfalls,
with marble of the hermit’s cave
with silky satin of his shepherdess
with crumbling mortar balustrades
his mini mansions’s justified
by scheming of his pyramids
but still his legacy:
the folly of his headstone reads
“here lies the man who stole our cash”

ruins-of-sixtus-or-both-of-the-great-hall-of-the-antonine-baths.jpg!Large
Linked to toads where Joy want us to write about follies.
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April 15, 2015

25 responses to “The folly of his headstone”

  5. Just on the news tonight “they” have caught up with a fellow promising U.S. Green Cards to investors of $500,000 or more to build a new convention center in New Orleans. After the ‘ground breaking’ five years ago nothing has happened and the ‘developer’ has spent all the money.
    GREED. Greed plays on other people’s greed.
    ..

  6. Amen. I love the descriptive details of the components, Bjorn-it gives it exactly the right period feel, and the last line, of course, is timeless. Thanks so much for finding time to join the Follies. ;_)

  8. This made me smile. We were talking the other day about headstone sayings – such as “Nobody Listens” or “She Didnt HAVE To Do It!” I love your word choices in this poem – very intriguing, such as “wind-up birds and waterfalls”, and “marble of the hermit’s cave”. Wondrous!

  11. In a local cemetery there is on the headstone: She fought the train and the train won…..The descriptive details in this just makes the last line shine!

  12. I love the wordplay. Somehow this poem seems to bundle him up and tie him neatly before disposing of him. A real ‘take that!’ 🙂

  15. This made me think of one of the Strindberg quotes that are permanently fixed to the street (Drottninggatan) which goes something along the lines of: ‘When I am dead, erect a giant penis of red stone on my grave and write ‘hic jacet’… (Not sure about the latin spelling or the translation, but I’m sure you know the one I mean) I just wonder whether the man your poem described lived a life happy enough to survive his horrible epitaph… Beautiful!

  20. I love the final epitaph – surprisingly modern and in contrast to the classical style which goes before – there are conman and follies in every age.

  24. I gather no one was able to mar his edifae during his life and gave him his comeuppance after death. How beautifully you lay out the pathway to your point!

  25. At least he didn’t get the last word. Ha! Though (at long as his gravestone stands) he’s left a cautionary note. The message being: here lies a guy, who sold his soul for cash. And then, couldn’t take it with him.

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