Chains

image from withelwyn.com 

Chains

“When a free man dies, he loses the pleasure of life--a slave

loses its pain. Death is the only freedom a slave knows--

that’s why he’s not afraid of it--Dalton Trumbo 

from SPARTACUS.

Many of us know who Spartacus was,

          or think we do, having seen the films,

          or read his name in history texts.

Yes, he lived, & was the primary leader

of a slave army during the Third Servile Wars

in 72 A.D.                            

                                         There is a rumor that he had been recruited

                                  in Thrace, in his teens, & had served in the

                         Roman Army, giving him knowledge of battle

         tactics & mindsets--that he deserted, was captured

& sentenced to living death as a slave in the

         mines of Libya. But as the fates would have it, he was

                          recruited yet again, for his ferocity, to be

                                   trained as a gladiator at a school in Capua.

                                           He excelled, & became a Champion

in the bloody sands of Roman arenas;

but like a tethered tiger, like a wing-clipped

eagle he dared to dream of freedom...

                             One bright dawn, he & his fellows erupted,

                             killed the guards, sacked & burned the school

                             & Spartacus escaped, taking 70 lethal gladiators

                             with him.

Their encampment was on Mt. Vesuvius, & within a week they were

joined by a thousand escaped slaves; word spread like a viral pandemic

--”Rise up, break your chains, join Spartacus & be free at last.” Spartacus

shared command with Crixius, the leader of the Gauls; berserk barbarians.

They were underestimated by Rome--We take five years to train a legion-

aire, & this rabble is made up of mere slaves.  Spartacus came down from

the mountain, & wiped out the army sent against him. The Slave Army 

swelled to 120,000 souls, complete with families; women & elders fought 

beside the young men. He moved north, defeating three more legions,

while heading for the Alps.

Crixius was a warrior, not a statesman, & he felt unstoppable 

                     after winning 4 battles, so he took the 30,000 Gauls, broke off

                            from the main army, & marched on Rome. Spartacus sadly

                                           headed north, toward the mountains. Soon

                                           word got to them that Crixius, a poor tactician,

                                           was caught between two legions & was 

                                           annihilated.

            Spartacus defeated three more armies sent

            to stop him, reaching the foothills of the Alps,

            but  he was not sure his rag-tag band could

            make it over the mountains. Mysteriously, he

turned his followers back to the south, 

fighting his way magnificently for the full 

length of Italy, bypassing Rome & stopping 

in the toe, arranging for ships that his people

could escape on.

The wealthiest Patrician, turned General, Marcus Crassus, pursued

them, pushing their backs to the sea. In late 73 A.D.. near the

headwaters of the Siller River, Spartacus was trapped between

three legions, & his army of freed slaves was finally beaten,

butchered by the tens of thousands, families clinging to each other

and to their hard fought freedom. The body of Spartacus was never 

found. 6,000 slaves were crucified along the Appian Way.

“I am Spartacus!”,

a thousand men cried to save

their hearts from breaking.

**************************************

Blood flowed, people died,
history repeating as
mockingbirds grow mute.

Glenn Buttkus

Posted over at <a href="http://dversepoets.com"> DVerse Poets Pub for Poetics