FOR MEDICINAL USE ONLY
When Medici once ruled the roost,
To Renaissance they gave a boost
In Florence, town of Tuscany,
By prompting minds to wander free.
To God no longer gave their vow,
But Greeks and Romans lured them now.
Upon their pedestals, the saints
By art and science were replaced.
Giovanni, patriarch began
This quite opportunistic clan.
And Cosimo, the chosen son,
Saw Brunelleschi’s dome begun.
Lorenzo, heir to Cosimo,
Encouraged Michelangelo.
Da Vinci, too, gained his ascent
From Medici’s artistic bent.
Savonarola, crazy monk,
Then foisted his religious bunk
Upon a Florence “steeped in sin;”
“God’s victory” he had to win.
“Bonfires of the Vanities”
Purged Florence of the Medicis,
Till Church decided monk and fame
Were best immortalized in flame.
Surprise! The Medici returned,
And Papacy they once had spurned
Became their power base alone
When son Lorenzo’s took the throne.
Corrupt as those who’d gone before,
Pope Leo lost when on a door
A monk named Luther nailed his gripes,
And Reformation sprang to life.
Then brother Clement got the chance
To Papally condemn the pranks
Of one King Henry Number Eight
Who married at alarming rate.
But under Clement Rome was sacked
By enemies he hardly lacked.
But Medicis weren’t finished yet –
Niece Catherine a king had met.
As France’s queen, she seemed fulfilled
By poems that Nostradamus quilled.
Alas, her offspring withered out,
And family seemed to lose its clout.
But back in Florence rose anew
A scientific genius who
Received the Medici’s support
When summoned by the Papal court.
And though they forced him to repent,
No work of Galileo went
Forgotten by his following
Who science modern ushered in.
The Renaissance had run its course.
But history’s not the only source
Through which we have their legacy –
Great works wrought by the Medici!
(Published in DANA LITERARY SOCIETY ONLINE JOURNAL, March 2005)
Author Bio:
I am a Professional Engineer who has been writing poetry since 1990. I am an incorrigible rhymer, tending toward the skeptical/cynical regarding daily life. I have been fortunate to have been published in poetry magazines and on-line journals such as NUTHOUSE, MOTHER EARTH INTERNATIONAL, FEELINGS/POETS’ PAPER, MÖBIUS (when Jean Hull Herman published), PABLO LENNIS, MUSE OF FIRE, SO YOUNG!, THE AARDVARK ADVENTURER, POETIC LICENSE, THUMBPRINTS, UNLIKELY STORIES, BIBLIOPHILOS, FULLOSIA PRESS, NOMAD’S CHOIR, HIDDEN OAK, PABLO LENNIS, POETSESPRESSO, SOUL FOUNTAIN, WRITER’S JOURNAL, ATLANTIC PACIFIC PRESS, DERONDA REVIEW, LYRIC, THE STORYTELLER, WRITE ON! and DANA LITERARY SOCIETY.