A Fresh Poem: "Cradle of Civ"

A brief verse, just happening to appear on Tax Day.

“Untitled,” by Edith Wharton, 1904, in Italian Villas and their Gardens

Cradle of Civ
Paul J. Pastor

A little work; a pleasant thing;
Three bean poles and twelve yards of string;

A little milk; a gnarly vine;
Soft cheeses, and the potted wine.

You ask me how the magic died?
It multiplied. It multiplied.