Diocletian^*

by Mary Ann Dimand

Things come round, said the one-time emperor. Rot to soil

and soil to growth, to the smooth, cool globes

of thick and creamy leaves, or looser-netted leaves

that curl to cradle grains and flavor. Once

I ruled the mortal sphere, and now these crucifers,

named for the crossroads of their petals, turn to me.

* The first Roman emperor to voluntarily abdicate. At Carnuntum people begged Diocletian to return to the throne, to resolve the conflicts that had arisen through Constantine's rise to power and Maxentius's usurpation. Diocletian's reply: "If you could show the cabbage that I planted with my own hands to your emperor, he definitely wouldn't dare suggest that I replace the peace and happiness of this place with the storms of a never-satisfied greed."