Since they were discovered,
The numbers have been forced to work like slaves
In all types of calculation.
The Romans, on the other hand,
Have always been at the forefront of every war
Until their disintegration.

This time, the old Roman numerals were watching us
In the round, observatory-like clock that hung on our wall,
From the top of our cold-war dinners,
As if calculating
How long we had left until our downfall.