Memori Morti

So low am I

Without a tie.

Competing with the ants

Eating my bananas.

Chant of the giant,

Eating the guanabana.

We talk as pendants,

Dead as the Siciliana’s

Competitions as truants.

Fools we are at gymkhana,

cowering before the tyrants.

Endnotes

1. “Memori Morti” is a Latin phrase meaning “remember you must die” and is a symbolic trope or meditative practice reminding individuals of mortality and the transient nature of life.

2. Guanabana, also known as soursop, is a tropical fruit, the fruit of the evergreen Annona muricata tree, native to the Americas and Caribbean, with a prickly green exterior and creamy, white, fibrous flesh, and a taste described as a mix of strawberry, apple, and citrus.

3. pendants
A.
a piece of jewellery that hangs from a chain worn round the neck.
“a jade-green pendant on a gold chain”
B.
a light designed to hang from the ceiling.
“decorative pendants may need a special ceiling fitting”

4. A siciliana (or siciliano) is a musical style or genre, often appearing as a movement within larger pieces, characterized by a slow 6/8 or 12/8 time signature, lilting rhythms, and a pastoral or melancholy mood, often in a minor key.

5. truants
a pupil who stays away from school without leave or explanation.

6. gymkhana

A.
an equestrian day event comprising races and other competitions on horseback, typically for children.
B.
Indian
a public place with facilities for sports.

7. tyrants

A. a cruel and oppressive ruler.
“the tyrant was deposed by popular demonstrations”
Similar:
dictator
despot
autocrat
absolute ruler
authoritarian
oppressor

B.
a tyrant flycatcher.

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Neville Buch

Professional Historian at Professional Historians Association (Queensland) Inc.

Neville Buch (Pronounced Book) Ph.D. is a certified member of the Professional Historians Association (Queensland). Since 2010 he has operated a sole trade business in history consultancy. He was a Q ANZAC 100 Fellow 2014-2015 at the State Library of Queensland. Dr Buch was the PHA (Qld) e-Bulletin, the monthly state association’s electronic publication, and was a member of its Management Committee. He is the Managing Director of the Brisbane Southside History Network.

Latest posts by Neville Buch (see all)

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