Among the surviving writings of Julius Caesar
is a fragment from his book On Analogy, where
he tells us to “Avoid strange and unfamiliar words
as a sailor avoids rocks at sea,” which, I admit,
is a vivid analogy in and of itself, but even so
I’m not about to take writing tips from the man
who, in 48 B.C., started the fire that destroyed
the Library of Alexandria and the half a million
papyrus scrolls gathered there from throughout
the ancient world for study and safekeeping.

Howie Good
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