our alaric

alaric
whose command of gothic tribes
under roman mandate
allowed him to see a people who were
forced to fight but reap no reward
in order to perpetuate a treaty with the
empire---
after being passed over &
denied the possibility of moving upward
from commander to general,
never getting to leave the foederati
for the regular army,
he was fed up.

taking things into his own hands
like kurtz going up the river
he used the knowledge gained in
commanding his forces to identify
the weakened northeast of italy &
promptly invaded greece first with his
visigoths prior to sacking
rome.

throwing monumental punches in
401 CE, 407 & finally 410,
he infiltrated the empire at its heart
beginning the end of that which had
spread itself much too far over the world &
had been rotting from within for a good amount of
time.

so who will be our alaric?
will a soldier with more heart than ability to
be a good little cog in the machine
turn over a new leaf &
leave with all his secrets wrapped up in his
backpack?

will a high paid mad scientist
working for the US government
down below in an underground base
brewing up batches of biological weapons
never before unleashed on humankind
(kept at bay for the coming day)
feel that he is just a little more valuable
than he is presently getting paid &
flee to the surface with all his wisdom to
find one of our numerous enemies
so that sooner than later
the inside of the empire will be
writhing with nerve gas or
a new synthesis of ebola?

tick
tick
tick
goes the clock.