Well, the Romans thought they could kill a man
every record, after death (you could kill him too)
zero
He wasn’t here he didn’t do these things no one ever knew him
They’d look at you funny if you mentioned Herostratus
The temple aflame to get noticed
Yet
The arsonist gave his name to every two-bit vandal
He got his wish
Famous for fucking things up
The men who chainsawed the tree
Smashy smashy
because you can you must you must
Remember to forget Lampe;
Kant’s diary,
Mind failing, thieving manservant
Ousted
The soft memory of the man, not the crime
Remember to forget Lampe
What is love but forgiveness even or especially for those who
How do you grieve those that denounced you?
The time together a pear drop
You were the traitor—what it meant
To be a good person
Ghosting a ghost
Loyalty on fire
Condemned not to be forgotten
An apotheosis of shit
Nadirification
A bad person
The ant in the heart
The black mark
For me to be good you must be bad
Look how bad you are
All the graven images
Your working-out
And from a certain height, love
Nina Power is a writer and philosopher. She teaches at Theory Underground and at Verdurin, London. Find more from Nina at her Substack.