In Celebration of Our Athenian Heritage

Our heritage is not a monolith,
But filled with linkages some have been loath
To claim, or to admit to. Are we with,
Or stranded without, history, or both?
“A pleasant seat,” you sang, “this castle hath!”
And I looked darkly to the north and south
Before I asked if we could have a private bath
And you thought I had better shut my mouth.
We’ve had our visits from the Gypsy Moth:
Each word was once a lonely bit of breath,
Each piece of fabric once was a whole cloth,
Each civilization died a featured death.
Phoenicians, Qin, and Arabs underneath,
The Greeks, like Jews and Romans, still have teeth.