Jake's Flea Market

marcellus was a coin   
taxed from an estate 
to help pay for claudius’ wars

on the face of the coin   where
was claudius’ head engraved

and on the hind side 
where   marcellus’ worth

marcellus didn’t think

his was a peasant’s heart
in a skin of soldier’s mail   he pulsed
in a steel shell

in his heart he knew all
but his heart never thought