Fresco, Villa of Mysteries
Give me a quiet garden, Horatio. One made of mouths, the skin
of Dionysus and flowers spilling into the stone courtyard
and let the courtyard not be made of the sun’s lace
for we must wait until the 16th century
for lace to make its appearance. Not of Venetian glass beads
for no slave has yet been traded for glass. Rather let us
build the openwork fabric of our garden
on the fear in the body
of a simple virgin who approaches marriage and if the details
of these frescoes are difficult to interpret, still, there can be
no argument as to their high quality.
Atrium, House of the Silver Wedding
Life must have been extremely comfortable at Pompeii.
In the summer, the open plan of the house would help keep the interior cool.
My mother came rushing into the bedroom. I believed I was perishing
along with everyone else. Tallahassee, invest in gold now!
There was an eclipse. Tallahassee, we are waiting
for you to invest in gold! All the charm and comforts of Pompeii
pale in comparison to Imperial Rome. Tallahassee, get gold
shipped to your door! We specialize in buying old and broken
gold and silver jewelry, as well as old US coins, foreign coins,
bullion from around the world, and sterling silver flatware and hollowware.
Photograph courtesy of Steven Zucker
