From The Jefferson Ghazals

The Gods Invite Us to Glory and Fortune

Former Vice-President Burr imagines his kingdom beyond the Alleghenies, promises
his flotilla browsing the Ohio and Cumberland: New Orleans is soon theirs.

Once a man does you a favor, you grow to despise
his good name and visible charms.

Once a man does you a favor, ambition begins its rise
above all other worthy pursuits.

A man does you a favor before you realize
it has made you his subject.

To arm yourself against tyrants, Jefferson, is to otherwise
arm yourself against free and happy men.

***

Shelley Benaroya is the founding director and teaching artist for the Writing Center for Creative Aging. Her poetry has appeared in Diner, Ekphrasis, The Lyric,The Road Not Taken, Mobius,Thirteenth Moon, and elsewhere. In 2017, she received the Ekphrasis Prize and a Pushcart Prize nomination.

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