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LITERARY NOOK
The Ides of March
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Posted on Mar 13 2023
The Ides of March marks the 15th day of March in the Roman calendar. A soothsayer told Julius Caesar one month before March 15 that he would be in danger in the next 30 days. Exactly 30 days later in Rome on March 15, 44 B.C., Emperor Julius Caesar was assassinated, the event recorded by the Roman poet Terence.
William Shakespeare used the line “beware the ides of March” in 1601 in his tragic play, Julius Caesar. The phrase has since entered the English language as a superstitious warning of imminent danger. What follows is the last half of my sonnet “Caveat Emptor – Ignoring the Ides of March” published a few years ago here in the Saipan Tribune. A new poem for the same date follows it.
“Pay no heed to gossips in a town without pity
Wash hands frequently don’t panic about the virus
Physician heal thyself the ancient Greek doctor said
Look for ethical leaders and scientific truth to inspire us
Apply whatever common sense is already in your head
Careful what you wish for you might someday get it
Who the hell said it? You might as well just forget it.”
The Ides of March? Fuhgeddaboudit
Beware the ides of March? Uh, fuhgeddaboudit
you might best beware of the big blabbermouth
white collar criminals with white shirts full of starch
those who say “truth isn’t truth” north is not south
folks who dye their hair green on the 17th of March
many implausible political conspiracy theories
and those who do not want you to ever doubt it
Be wary of eating any food while watching TV
and watching all those ads about personal body
problems selling underwear medicine and deodorant
you don’t ever plan on trying them and have no plans
on buying them but those ads will surely give you
indigestion or make you sick to your stomach for free
The problems plagues and pricey cost of any superstition
may substantially deteriorate a healthy mental condition
get off the couch take a walk go swimming at the beach
healthy living and thinking is well within your reach.
