by Michael Shindler (November 2022)
Ida Rubinstein, Romaine Brooks, 1917
A Great Prince and Princess
A great prince and princess
Spied each other from opposite sides of a ballroom
And each was a sight to see
With black-white eyes and black-white hair.
In the center, they approached
Amid an extraordinary waltz
As in a game of chess
A move from doom
Players talk blithely
And vacate their square.
Yes, for all their faults,
In the center, they approached.
Apollo
Apollo when walking through an antique valley
Did not allow his gaze to wander
Toward whosoever praised him.
Indeed, it was a beautiful valley
And all who lived there loved him.
But in spite of their love
His gaze was fixed elsewhere,
Beyond the valley,
At a dim point
Above.
Michael Shindler is a writer living in Washington, DC. His work has appeared in publications including The American Conservative, The American Spectator, National Review Online, New English Review, University Bookman, and Providence. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelShindler.
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