Fancy Dress

Not a classroom, a library, a bookstore—
In practice, history is a costume shop
People raid to outfit their allegiances.

All the analogies pulled out of the bins
And tried on in front of the triptych mirrors
Are aids to displays and self-discoveries,

But they don’t amount to lessons learned, much less
Predictions. History won’t repeat itself,
And toga only loosely rhymes with Roman.