R is for Romulus

is for Romulus

Small Mercies

Remus and Romulus were the twins

said to have founded Rome, the linchpins 

of legends and intrigue -

Romulus ahead by a league.

A wild creature  by them through thick and thin.

Both the brothers when infants were orphaned

helpless babes in river and woods abandoned

a she-wolf came a-slinking

and I know what you’re thinking

but preparest thou to be now thoroughly stunned.

She didn’t make mincemeat out of the babies,

she didn’t chew them up or give them rabies;

she gave milk and mother-love

and brought them straight up

to know their numbers and their Latin AB’s.

But then the story gets murky, coz sibling

rivalry spares no-one, they got quibbling

Remus liked a different hill

and Romulus fought to kill,

didn’t believe in some casual nibbling.

And so Rome was founded by one twin

the survivor brother who did the other in.

In plain words - fratricide

though legend doesn’t deride,

or call this dubious act a terrible sin.

Quite clear that it took a long time to build

From orphaned twins to getting a sibling killed

That is why they say

Rome wasn’t built in a day

years to the finish from when first pencilled.

I’ll bet you’ve never thought  – cause no one does -

It’s so long ago so why make a pointless fuss?

But think - if it so happened

the clash had a different end

then Rome wouldn’t be Rome, but named for Remus.

The Rose may Remain a Rose, that which we call Rome (okay, the Limericking's over now, there's no need to Rhyme endlessly!) would probably smell quite different.  What do you think? Do names shape the people/places? Or do the individuals/cities beat their names into shape?  How important is a name? Would the rose petal smell as sweet if it were called popocatepetl instead?

Posted for the A-Z Challenge 2016