Poetry P 1028 (2010) The Tale of Romulus and …An archer, a goddess, I'd only seen once Bathing in a shallow pool Teeth, claws, they tear my flesh, Bite by bite, my life it wanes,

Poetry proj. #: P__1028__(2010)(student #: 18654)

The Tale of Romulus and Remus[total lines: 26]

The Tale of Romulus and Remus

Romulus and Remus were twin brothers

And they were born in 800 B.C.

Mars was their father, and Rhea their mother.

All was well, â€˜til something terrible was foreseen

Amulius was afraid of being overthrown

So the boys were abandoned by the Tiber River and into a flood

But a she-wolf found them and raised the boys as her own

And she gave them her milk instead of shedding blood

Faustulus discovered the boys and raised them as his own

They found their grandfather and wanted to take Amulius down

So the brothers killed him and gave Numitor back his throne

And then they set out to form their own town

They decided to put up some walls at the place where they were raised

But they couldn't decide on the Palentine or Aventine Hill

Both of the brothers wanted to be praised

And both would do anything for their wants to be fulfilled

Remus told Romulus that he had poor walls

The consequences were set, and Romulus believed his brother was informed

But this didn't stop Remus, and lead to his fall

With Remus dead, Romulus was king and Rome was formed

The Tale of Romulus and Remus -- P__1028__(2010)page: -- 1


Power of the Graces[total lines: 18]

Power of the Graces

Gracious are the gifts they bestow,

On mankind are talents shown.

Movements gentle, faces aglow,

Beauty seeps far from skin to bone.

Hold the body, adorn the mind,

Denounce ourselves, hold out a sigh.

Friendly glances whose eyes may bind,

Sweet resemblance to nature ties.

And love will flow where beauty grows,

Their warm embrace we hope to see.

Let us bow our heads from high to low,

From which we call civility.

Power of the Graces -- P__1029__(2010)page: -- 1


An Ode to Selene[total lines: 37]

Behold! Thy beauty is

Enthralling, enchanting;

See how lofty, amethyst hues

Glisten across the sapphire sky.

A curtain of fiery stars

And far-shot beams of radiant light

Pierce the darkness,

Supreme as Empress of the Night.

Her cloudy garments one by one

Fleet and float above as the

Winds subside before her smiling grace.

Rivers, nymphs, birds, and trees

Hold up their mirrors to her gaze;

She drinks admiration

An Ode to Selene -- P__1031__(2010)page: -- 1


From them all.

Too soon the sunrise comes, too soon

Helios charts his journey across the earth.

O still beloved! Time harms

No lovers.

An Ode to Selene -- P__1031__(2010)page: -- 2


Disaster in Troy[total lines: 34]

Braiden loved Legos just as much as any other boy did.

His collection included Atlantis Legos and Toy Story Legos and Star Wars Legos"

But Braiden's most cherished set was Greek Gods: a Lego Creation.

And when the sun slipped through his slender shades,

The light illuminated that box of blocksâ€”

The cover: Poseidon holding onto the fin of a plastic whale,

Had never prompted so many possibilities for creation.

Braiden seized the box and the day when he sprawled Legos across his wooden floor

And began buildingâ€”

Lying on his stomach, he examined each beauteous block as if he were there,

In 3000 B.C., building Troy himself.

Opposite Troy, he constructed the opposing Danaan citadel, rising in record time.

Emerging from the idolized box were:

Gray-eyed Athena, Hateful Hera, Pelagic Poseidon, Swift-footed Hermes, Handy Hephaestus and

Silver-footed Thetis in one plastic bag,

And Alluring Aphrodite, Blood-lust Ares, Archer Apollo, Celestial Artemis, Stream-god Scamander and

Hidden Leto in another.

It was time for war.

Just thenâ€” Braiden's sister's foot entered the battlefield.

"Braiden, read me that love story. The one with the beautiful girl""

"Cupid and Psyche?"

"That's the one!"

"Maybe laterâ€” I'm busy."

"I'm telling Mom!"

Braiden leveled his vision with the Legos as she stomped out of his room.

He ominously moved the Achean Horse forward"

Little did the Trojans know"

Disaster in Troy -- P__1033__(2010)page: -- 1


But right before Laocoon had a chance to warn: "Beware the Greeks bearing gifts!"

Right before the Lego army invaded the Achean citadelâ€”

Right before the little men pillaged and raided and forayedâ€”

His sister returned, as Hermes, bearing a message of the gods:

"Mom said you had to read it to me!"

Defeated by the authority of Hera and the cunning plot of his sister,

Braiden began reading"

His sister always seemed to master a plan

Appealing to the higher authority"

"Once there was a stunning girl named Psyche and everyone worshiped her beauty""

Disaster in Troy -- P__1033__(2010)page: -- 2


Ars Poetica[total lines: 34]

Poetry is "

Form â€“ internal composition,

Meter â€“ beat,

Subject â€“ theme of life,

Writer.

Form is "

Author words

Epic, dramatic,

Satirical, Elegiac

Or lyrical.

Meter is "

Painter brushing canvas

Dactylic Hexameter,

Elegiac Couplets,

Hendecasyllabic.

Subject is "

Person molded into statue

Mythology,

History,

Love,

Death,

Or Life.

Writer is "

Ars Poetica -- P__1038__(2010)page: -- 1


Composer of concerto

Horace

Catullus

Virgil

Juvenal

Ennius.

Ars Poetica -- P__1038__(2010)page: -- 2


Faith[total lines: 18]

May Zeus and his family

Look upon me with kindness.

So long as he does,

I will give him his due.

So long as they are kind,

I will fight the apathy of

The son Polyphemus.

Should the gods scorn

I that am faithful,

Polyphemus shall have

A friend of agnosticism.

So gods beware:

Be just or the humans

You play with

Shall be

Your downfall.

Faith -- P__1039__(2010)page: -- 1


Lamentation[total lines: 107]

Impenetrable dark surrounds me now,

Though once I found joy in a meadow,

Lit brightly by Helios and blessed by Pomona.

No longer am I surrounded by companions,

Fellow dryads and neighbor naiads,

And most cherished of all,

Orpheus.

A sinister serpent slew me,

As I ran through a meadow fleeing Aristaeus.

My limbs were numbed,

A great lethargy overtook me,

And the darkness beckoned.

Hermes appeared, there to guide me

Lamentation -- P__1040__(2010)page: -- 1


Away from love,

Away from life.

I made the descent,

As my tears made theirs.

Charon ferried me across Styx,

Past the fearsome Cerberus,

And I took my first step

Onto the hallowed shore of Dis.

I passed Acheron, and Cocytus,

And now, just as I am to forget all

A familiar voice calls.

Love had followed me into the abyss,

Sweet music had gained his entrance.



Above, the earth had wept,

The sparrows ceased their sanguine song

Rivers flooded from naiad tears,

Moved by the heartbroken melodies.

The Furies mourned,

The Gods lamented,

Cruel Cerberus stood aside,

And even stoic Hades had relented.

I follow my beloved,

Nearing our common goal.

Yet, just as the rays

Of the noonday sun

Warm my shaded skin,



He looks back.

Returning to that dark world,

Devoid of sun and song,

A deafening din fills my ears:

my heart,

shattering.

I hurry toward Lethe, forgetfulness being bliss to me,

Sip the waters hurriedly, and then--

Nothing.



A Muse's Lament[total lines: 16]

Catullus is whining.

Virgil is singing.

Does it never end?

Lesbia occupies the heart of one,

Aeneas, the mind of the other.

Does it never end?

The constant seeking and begging

for guidance only I can provide,

Does it never end?

Throw Ovid into the mix.

He could never quite master the politics.

Does it never end?

Will I ever get some peace?

Here comes one now.

This cycle of ideas

that always brings them back,

Does it never end?

A Muse's Lament -- P__1041__(2010)page: -- 1


Apollo and Pan[total lines: 38]

man and beast

locked in immortal combat

only mountains are strong enough to stand the test of this war

one chooses music on the half shell

stripping life from the weak and slow

to bring wonder and glory to his notes

but still the sun shines on him

as it always has

each delicate string a never ending steam of light

the other chooses his namesake

clinging to the only remembrance of him left to stand the scorn of modern times

though he once ruled the earth and conquered the moon

he lies defeated at the feet of an archer

upside down and inside out

Apollo and Pan -- P__1044__(2010)page: -- 1


victory may still be clear

but for the ears of unholy passersby

mocking

scorning

laughing

braying

Apollo and Pan -- P__1044__(2010)page: -- 2


Actaen[total lines: 71]

Just me alone, in the woods with my pack

Preying on creatures with antlers and fur

Walking in silence, nothing but me and the forest

Until suddenly someone is there,

A woman bathing in the soft moonlight

Such beauty unparalleled and rare

Pale as the moonlight that surrounds her

Attended by nymphs dancing humbly round

I can't help but stare for a moment

Can't stop my eyes which have lost all sense

I should turn and run from a temptress so fair

But my feet are motionless even as my dogs grow restless

One moment, our eyes lock

Her eyes, half closed before, open wide in shock

Actaen -- P__1046__(2010)page: -- 1


And turn cold with anger

A hand moves in my direction

Flipping water onto my feet

The hunter becomes the hunted

Teeth that once tore game tear me

The price I pay for this transgression,

Now four legged instead of two

Muted with a thicker tongue

Cast dumb with a flick of the wrist

An archer, a goddess, I'd only seen once

Bathing in a shallow pool

Teeth, claws, they tear my flesh,

Bite by bite, my life it wanes,

Like the moon that cruel goddess is known for

Actaen -- P__1046__(2010)page: -- 2


Cruel yet beautiful, hence my gaze,

The single look that sealed my fate,

Yet having seen such perfection in her form,

I wonder now if it was worth it all.

The hot breath of my hounds coming in for the kill,

And me the very creature they've often craved

No words can call them off,

No shout can leave my mouth,

For I am a beast and they are the hunters

And then I'm gone.

Actaen -- P__1046__(2010)page: -- 3


The Twelve Labors of Mighty Heracles[total lines: 44]

With grief and guilt so great a man amends,

For sins and deeds done in a fit of wrath.

An oracle at Delphi which does send,

Him on his way along a labored path.

He first meets with a beast of strength and might,

A lion great which harms the countryside.

On whom the force of most makes not a blight,

Yet this young hero kills and dons its hide.

He next comes to an awful, deadly slough,

In which the beastly Hydra cannot die.

Until our hero, fearless, shrewd, and tough,

With Iolaus they the odds defy.

His third task is to seize a sacred hind,

A chore which lasts through an entire year.

And then a bore which ravages mankind,

He lures it out until it should appear.

His next quest is to wash the stables clean,

Of mighty herds in no more than one day.

To do this he diverts a nearby stream,

Which douses spotless all with its wet spray.

And now he must face peril intrepid,

As he attempts to drive off the clawed birds.

With Athena's aid he is able to rid,

The countryside of their abysmal herds.

The seventh labor calls for great command,

Of the inhuman strength he possesses.

Our hero takes the Cretan Bull in hand,

The Twelve Labors of Mighty Heracles -- P__1047__(2010)page: -- 1


To add this task unto his great successes.

For his eighth task he subjugates the mares,

That once belonged to great Diomedes.

And then a girdle which a woman wears,

He steals from its Amazonian queen.

He next embarks upon the land and sea,

To capture the Cattle of Geryon.

And then the apples of Hesperides,

He must retrieve with great haste thereupon.

His last and final labor poses threat,

The menace of the underworld is great.

As our hero, a fearless silhouette,

Does Cerberus's bold nature abate.

And now the expedition has thus ceased,

Of our prevailing hero, ill at ease.

Thus overcoming great, ferocious, beasts,

Atonement now, at last, finds Heracles.

The Twelve Labors of Mighty Heracles -- P__1047__(2010)page: -- 2


Trail of Spoken Words[total lines: 34]

Trail of Spoken Words

As I left to study as a boy I knew it was worth it

For I have left a trail of spoken words

When I am as young as I can be I am in Sicily

There, I leave a trail of spoken words

I return to Rome, the world of the Republic, which I believe

I leave a trail of spoken words

Protecting my friends is what I must do


Pirates are threatening my city

I offer a trail of spoken words

Although I must leave I know I will return


I return to my city


People try to change my beloved city


People change, things stay the same


Antony must be removed to preserve what I love


Trail of Spoken Words -- P__1050__(2010)page: -- 1


I am forced to leave my city


I don't do sadness, but


A history of my city is half written

I leave a trail of UNSPOKEN words

Trail of Spoken Words -- P__1050__(2010)page: -- 2


Rebirth from Mistakes[total lines: 37]

Man has brought this,

From all the hate they created,

Even gods must be punished,

For what they have created.

Oceans of Blue,

Now crimson tide,

Continents of grass,

Burst into Flames.

Mountains into flats,

Snow to water,

Deserts into lakes,

And forests burnt.

Tremors will shake Gia,

Darkness will veil Apollo,

Winds will disperse Zeus,

Hate will consume Aphrodite.

Earth is the underworld,

Now Hades rules,

Dead will thrive,

Living will thin.

Survivors must pray,

Rebirth from Mistakes -- P__1051__(2010)page: -- 1


To their gods, idols,

Or deities,

Prey to die.

In the end earth will be reborn,

Restarting the cycle of life,

Our supreme being hopes for change,

So he sits back and watches,

When Adam and Eve take the stage.

Rebirth from Mistakes -- P__1051__(2010)page: -- 2


Orpheus' Lament[total lines: 28]

(Inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book 10)

Then Hymaneaus leaves through open air, yellow-cloaked,

to Ciconean shores, by Orphean voice invoked

Truly the marriage god had no solemn words, though there.

No joyful glances, nor fortunate signs did he bear.

The marriage-torch too flickered steadily in his grasp, 5

no fire from its fannings, as if to mournfully gasp.

More weighty still was his exit. For while the new bride,

with a crowd of naiads, wandered through the grasses wide,

she died, tooth of a serpent caught in ankle mid-stride.

For priest and lost wife Rhodopeius so wept, he dared 10

descend past buried souls and specters, and gravely shared

his ruin. King of the Dead and Proserpine drew near:

"Rulers of death, if I may say sooth (no pretense here),

I came not to tour, nor slay Medusan Cerberus,

but for my wife, slain, years snatched, by Viper murderous. 15

I tried and wish to endure, but was smote by Amor

(yoked your yanked wife and dear in our world, perhaps in your).

By this vast, silent void, a Chaotic land of dread

I plea, fast overrule the Fates! Reweave her life-thread!

We owe all to you, and must unite, eager or loath; 20

You hold all humankind in rule long and certain both.

She too is yours, when, mature, her lot of years doth close.

So I ask for her lot, but, should Fates refuse, suppose,

Orpheus' Lament -- P__1053__(2010)page: -- 1


I could never recover; you'd take two, I propose!"

Orpheus' Lament -- P__1053__(2010)page: -- 2


Waiting (Penelope's Lament)[total lines: 42]

Hopefully, I cast my eyes towards the sea,

Though I watch those foul men, hopelessly

Wrecking my palace, gorging my food,

Waiting for me, my affection pursued.

While I wait for my own husband, devotedly,

My heart is beating, never knowing what could be.

I clutch at my chest, holding the broken pieces

Which will never be whole until my anguish ceases,

The anxiety of observing my son, growing up incomplete

Without a father; a boy the suitors wish to unseat.

Resisting their advances, enduring their impudence,

Waiting (Penelope's Lament) -- P__1054__(2010)page: -- 1


Despairing within, yet on the surface I hold the pretense

Of fortitude; still my dream dissolves, my mind and will erode,

As over the years, I bear suffering and solitude, a grave load.

Am I a fool to waste my hope and efforts? Am I futilely fighting fate?

I wonder,

I weep,

I wait.

Waiting (Penelope's Lament) -- P__1054__(2010)page: -- 2


Ode to Catullus[total lines: 24]

O Catullus,

For Lesbia, your beautiful muse,

You write great poetry to bemuse.

From humorous poems about a sparrow,

To the passionate tone of fire in your marrow,

Your touching works designed to enthrall

Truly can connect to all.

While other suitors of Lesbia you knock,

Laughs ensue while Arrius you mock.

Although Arrius's "hambush" is not said precisely,

Your ridicule is not presented nicely.

Most of your work is of comedic form,

But some of your poems into serious matters transform.

Your brother's death leaves you in grief

As you search for some emotional relief.

"Carmen 64" written with epic tone

Shows Ariadne in her misery moan.

Her despair however doesn't last long,

As Bacchus's rescue corrects Theseus's wrong.

O Catullus, a poet so great,

Your works' longevity must be fate.

Your grand poems, a remarkable endeavor,

Are sure to be held in the heart of literature forever.

Ode to Catullus -- P__1057__(2010)page: -- 1


Prayer of the Sailors[total lines: 11]

Notus, Lord of the South Wind,

Most wonderful of winds,

Bless our endeavors.

We fear your just temper,

And your temptation to release your powers,

But we trust your ability to aid us.

Blow our enemies from our path,

And grant us the speed of your breath.

For our travels, we implore you,

Be kind to us.

Prayer of the Sailors -- P__1059__(2010)page: -- 1


A Time for Everything[total lines: 22]

For every second of every day.

There is a time.

A time to be born.

The goddess Levana will protect you.

A time to die.

Larentina will be with you.

A time to plant.

Flora will guide you.

A time to reap that which is planted.

Runica will help you.

A time to heal.

Bona Dea will aid you.

A time to keep silence

Muta will understand you.

A time to love.

Venus will lead you.

A time of war.

Mars will direct you

A time of peace.

Pax will be beside you.

For every day and every second.

There is a time.

A Time for Everything -- P__1061__(2010)page: -- 1


{untitled}[total lines: 22]

Every lover plays Certamen, and Cupid asks the questions.

Believe me, every lover plays Certamen.

The correct answer needed for the game is also suitable for Cupid's:

Disappointed is the losing player, disappointed is the losing boyfriend.

Those spirits seen in a great player,

Girls often seek the same in boys.

Both are up at all hours, both study to their heart's content;

This one memorizes the intricacies of grammar, that one of his mistress's face.

The commitment of a Certamen player never ceases: with a ring

And a promise, the lover's commitment is the same.

In sickness and health, a love stays constant;

Winning or losing, a Certamen player always plays.

Who, if not loving or playing, will give up what they want,

Sacrificing and collaborating for the good of the team?

One enters competition with determination and speed,

The other watches his rivals with the same determination.

That one attacks every question, that one every problem

Of new love; one gains points, the other, trust.

Mars is doubtful and Venus is uncertain; and as true love is found,

Those who thought they never could win, succeed.

Therefore, with hope unparalleled, believe me,

Every lover plays Certamen, and Cupid asks the questions.

{untitled} -- P__1062__(2010)page: -- 1


ariadne[total lines: 59]

I.

gazing from afar

she watches the receding sails

as the tide pulls him away.

the world is in her eyes

as she stands, lonely

and finding the world too much to bear

they overflow

and still she cannot yet

believe herself to see

what she sees.

II.

she remembers

how every day

a burning fire consumed her

until she was nothing more

than a human conflagration

but now she is doused

by the salt of her own tears.

all that remains of the holocaust

is a tortured heart

in the embers.

III.

she remembers

how she could think of no one else,

ariadne -- P__1063__(2010)page: -- 1


how she longed to

bathe his travel-dusted feet,

to enslave herself

for nothing more than a smile

nothing less than a kiss.

she remembers

how she was a fool

to trust the empty words

of a promising man

who had no room in his mind

for anyone but

himself.

IV.

she remembers

how she forsook a brother

forsook a father

forsook a mother

only herself to be

forsaken.

V.

she remembers

and she weeps

until another comes

and she lets herself

be pulled into his arms

and as he places

a golden crown upon her head

ariadne -- P__1063__(2010)page: -- 2


she wishes that the gold

had replaced her heart

instead.

ariadne -- P__1063__(2010)page: -- 3


Atalanta and Hippomenes[total lines: 59]

A maiden of the tumbling brooks,

Animals and sky,

Would be sought by lords and crooks,

Who were given a test to try.

When they asked for her hand,

She always did decline,

Unless she was beaten by the man,

Whose foot speed was sublime.

Hippomenes judged, tolerant and fair,

Until he wanted her, too,

Then he offered himself as a player,

In the race that will bring his doom.

Atalanta agreed, she was sure she would win,

He did not seem very fast,

He prayed to Venus, and with a grin,

He knew he'd not get last.

For Venus had given him three golden apples,

And explained to him their use,

When the race began, he did not grapple â€“

He muscles were fit and loose.

Atalanta's feet were far ahead,

But not for very long,

Atalanta and Hippomenes -- P__1064__(2010)page: -- 1


Hippomenes threw an apple in her tread,

And she paused her feet's swift song.

While she stood admiring its sheen,

She was loosing her race,

For in the lead was Hippomenes,

So she quickly picked up her pace.

Twice again this happened,

The Golden Apple Distraction,

And when the race was at its end,

Hippomenes was relaxing.

He had won the mortal war,

Against Atalanta the Lady,

But more important was the divine score,

Between Venus and Hippomenes.

In the joy that lovers make,

They each forgot their dues,

Venus was angered, and for this mistake,

She wreaked her revenge on the two.

Venus arranged that they angered Cybele,

The powerful mother of Zeus,

And with her powers, Cybele cast a spell,

Lovers forever lions, never set loose.

To this day, they sit by her side,



Calm and tame and true,

For an angered goddess will take no bribe,

To cheat her of her rightful due.



colosseum[total lines: 11]

Bones SNAP

swords SLICE

men HOWL

beasts WAIL"

The audience ROARS in response.

Ruthless cracks and clangs split the air, shoving the violence into their ears until they almost bleed,

lions and elephants and bears and crocodiles and other men

assault and stab and bruise and beat and shatter each other.

A man stumbles and his blood quenches the thirsty sand and sates the ravenous crowd.

Rabid cheers for the victor, bathed in the gore of a former friend.

Afternoon entertainment for a sophisticated society,

or barbaric bloodfests for depraved demons?

colosseum -- P__1066__(2010)page: -- 1


Dido's Lament[total lines: 16]

wWhat happens when you're

too tired to cry, lie,

too tired to die?

Enter apathy, in all her glory

capturing every attempt at life,

settling in and finding a home

in the dreams you set aside.

And what happens when

there's nothing left,

but maybe's and why not's?

When all you can do is regret

the could have's and what if's?

I'll be here waiting.

Dido's Lament -- P__1069__(2010)page: -- 1


Narcissus[total lines: 17]

He stood

alone... silent,

lost within his own

watery gaze...

entranced by a

fading, rippling

reflection

of imaginary color.

A single tear drop

contorts the image

that was once

gazing back

with dark lonely eyes.

He longs to reach out,

to touch this

facade of his own mind;

it was an unattainable desire,

a desire of demise.

Narcissus -- P__1070__(2010)page: -- 1


ParaDis[total lines: 24]

By twists of fate, by the great powers higher,

Pluto's brothers one day gained his eternal ire.

They drew lots, to the rejoicing of the heavenly choir,

For the kingdom of skies was a universal desire.

By Jove! The heir to the air was the great thunder-thrower,

And Neptune the seaworthy took a kingdom one lower,

So Dis, hopes dismantled, descended the mantle,

Claiming his throne, of them all, all the slower.

Dis was not simply a slight disappointed,

To reign in a world from the other disjointed,

And, steeling himself to steal a fair bride,

Mounted his chariot for a hell of a ride.

His queen, crowned in quite unceremonious induction,

And having sewn the seeds of her own destruction,

Established a half-life in that shady land,

And reluctantly gave him her hand.

Though Dis gained a kingdom bereft of sun

By the fickle roll of dice,

He commands eternally as The Rich One,

Ruling his Paradise.

ParaDis -- P__1071__(2010)page: -- 1


After a Semester and Some Aught Weeks[total lines: 46]

After a semester and some aught weeks,

Spent with Latin and a bit of Greek,

And after pondering upon such written word

Common to scribes or a new-era nerd,

The thought came fleeting, in meridiem post,

How Latin may have helped the most.

After my faults and misconception,

The Classical language has brought connection

To this century and things long past,

Leaving shadows forever uncast.

Studying the classics

becomes more than watching Bardot, Garbo, and Harlow.

Going to the crows

becomes more than Aesop and anthotyro fresco.

Salutatorian and Valedictorian

become less specific to gender.

Summa cum laude

becomes more meaningful in calligraphy.

The kraken

becomes more terrifying than intoxicated poultry.

Nymphs

After a Semester and Some Aught Weeks -- P__1072__(2010)page: -- 1


become coyer than variations of nymphomaniacs.

Togas and fraternities

become more respectable than in classic cult film.

Trojans

become more honorable than bizarre birth control commercials.

Achilles

becomes more tragic than tattered tendons.

Caesar

becomes a better betrayal than the salad the server sent back.

And in name of Classical Leagues, my level and above,

Veni.

Vidi.

Vici.

(And all mispronunciations thereof.)

After a Semester and Some Aught Weeks -- P__1072__(2010)page: -- 2


Wanted:[total lines: 40]

Wanted: A muse

Someone to make my pen flow

Someone with the gift

To stop the stutter of humanity.

Calliope, a bit much,

For what I have in mind,

Erato, a bit too,

Wrong direction.

Needed: some power

To force the wall of Ordinary

out

and free the wild torrent of my thoughts

Held back, stopped up,

I seek a muse.

I need to form the words

I cannot refuse.

Clio, I call,

Wait, negate that

Polyhymnia, perhaps,

Urania, not quite.

Wanted: -- P__1075__(2010)page: -- 1


Melpomene, I believe

Is not exactly who I seek.

Terpsichore, I apologize,

I seek not your aid

Euterpe, I have words beyond music

Thalia, my words are somber yet,

I am lost, trapped in my own mind

Held prisoner by my lack

of a muse.

Wanted: -- P__1075__(2010)page: -- 2


Atlas[total lines: 14]

I stand here with the weight of the world on

my shoulders.

Holding up the sky, with all of the clouds

Forcing themselves upon my shoulders.

Those damn thought bubbles keeping me

From frolicking amongst the other gods.

I was once free.

I gave my burdens to an imbecile.

He thought his twelve tasks were worse

than my punishment.

I'd take his "to-do" list any day.

Instead of kneeling here with puffs of air

Floating above my head.

Chiding me for my past discretions.

Atlas -- P__1078__(2010)page: -- 1


The Gods Are Dead[total lines: 101]

The gods are dead.

Mount Olympus, having been rocked by the Final Battle,

Razed to the ground.

The empty years are upon us, as are the men of

weaker bodies, lacking in Aidos; we,

is it we who are lesser than the men who

escaped that devastation?

The deaths of so many gods.

~

O, that day of doom, of worlds ending;

And of rebirth.

Now! Having been released from piety, having relax-ed shoulders,

Holding a lack

Of Fear for Sky above or Earth below!

Once thundering heavens, quaking marble,

Now still.

With urgency, the gods are forgotten:

Mountainous Zeus of castle clouds,

Flushed Hera, of strongest rage,

Sandaled Athena, with judge-ed steps,

Sated Venus, with love enough for all;

All Fallen! Dead! Gone!

We must burn our crops, our women for them!

Gone!

Sew open our eyes so that we might better pray for you!

No more!

We need to die for Honor and Glory!

The Gods Are Dead -- P__1085__(2010)page: -- 1


Guide us: Life is sweeter than any death.

And so man, ever fickle as their gods, dropped

The Holy Ones as they dropped from the sky.

~

Mankind scattered, sowing seeds of life across Gaia's face,

As blemishes the Great Mother lay helpless against.

Gaia. The Ultimate. Greater than Zeus himself.

Alone, she has been left to suffer the indignation of ungrateful humans.

Can you imagine her sufferings?

It was to SHE the gods, her children fell,

That fateful day eons ago, Watching, blood-

Blood! Raining down! A sky turned black the with

Blood of the Gods, their

Ichor splashing, down upon mortal's faces

As rain upon sunflower, dim faces

With dimmer eyes, the

Haunting spectacle before them lost on their light-less eyes.

That last day,

The lightning of Jupiter fled, released and crazed,

The owl of Minerva fled, wise creature, brave,

The belt of Golden Venus snapped, tore;

O, symbol of beauty! Cause of your immortal family's death!!

(Do not ye dare blame a son of Jupiter

for a war such as that upon Troy!

Such as that fall of Olympus,

Only to Venus!

~

Though she, too, a pawn of fate.

See Fate: Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos,



Three beasts, never loved,

Sisters of mankind's spilt blood.

~

Now see the end:

Escaped lightning, coruscant, cross the sky!

Bloods from Gods, like a flood from immortal flesh,

Now dead beings!

Bodies impale the suppliant mother,

Waiting to embrace her children a final time, O Gaia!

Now earthquakes, fallen bodies shaking, loosen foundations!

Empty eyed ones caught beneath fallen brick, arms around each other,

These had feared the rain, the pounding sky,

Having turned their faces, promptly die.

The bodies of Gods, large as mountains, devoid of life and disguising magic,

Through the air rolled, limbs akimbo,

Drained of all last Ichor, strike!

The sea, crashing waves now upon the ocean-towns,

Now sinking faster than the densest of metals

In the purest of water.

These bodies wait forever, composed.

Find their empty husks and answer our questions of the end!

What killed the immortal ones? The final question in creation.

Darkness, black as pitch. Only rogue flashes of Fiery Air

More and more rare, as thunder too

Stopped.

~

The sky creates its own Lighting now,

And thunder,

And rain.



Magic. I would give life itself to be once more at the beginning;

Of props, settings, becoming more?

Of natural things taken for granted

Now finding their own power to move and grow?

The god's blood rained down,

Touching all with power,

Enlightening Creation.

We newly enlightened humans are the ordained ones.

WE, the keepers of life, of death;

WE, the users of land,

Unchallenged.

An end for us will never come

Not as for the gods of millennia passed!

In our veins flows real Ichor.

~

We are the True Gods.



Oedipus[total lines: 24]

There once was a man named Oedipus,

When he was a baby his dad was a wus.

There was this weird prophecy you see,

That the mother would marry her baby.

The dad sent him away with great fright,

Had him hung by his ankles high out of sight.

The boy grew up with his false father,

Then he ran away so he wouldn't be a bother.

The boy went on the road to the great city,

He killed a man on the way with no pity.

When he got to the city gate he saw the sphinx,

With a riddle that wasn't as bad as everyone thinks.

He beat the sphinx's riddle and gained a prize,

Which of course was his own mother, a surprise!

He went on without much of a thought,

Until the great sight-seer showed him what he wrought.

His dear mother-wife hung herself by the neck,

And he gouged his own eyes out, what the heck?

His child led him out of Thebes into the night,

For the poor, poor Oedipus had lost his sight.

Oedipus -- P__1086__(2010)page: -- 1


Ilium[total lines: 15]

I am numb.

The battles, raging daily,

Claim my allies,

And their thirst shall never be quenched.

Even the high sun,

Can only reach so deep.

My blood longs for its intrusive tentacles

To end the war within.

The battle, raging daily,

A dishonorable parasite,

Distances itself from my head

But never escapes the grasp of my heart.

Ilium -- P__1087__(2010)page: -- 1


Image of Minerva[total lines: 32]

I stand tall and serene

In the temple you have built

To the goddess whose form I have borrowed

I watch over your days

I hear your prayers

I see your offerings

I see your troubles

And I see your laughter

You proud, strong people of Rome

I have seen peace

I have seen war

I have seen soldiers

Marching through the streets before me

Rebellion

Uprising

Unrest

All of these weights and more bear down on my shoulders

Yet still I stand tall and serene

Like the people of Rome

Those days are in the past

But still I remain

Watching over the streets I have always known

Times have changed

Cars replace horses

Pants replace togas

Image of Minerva -- P__1089__(2010)page: -- 1


Computers replace scrolls

And the language sleeps

But still I guard my temple

With the help of the goddess whose form I have borrowed

I stand tall and serene

A reminder of the long-lost days of Rome

Image of Minerva -- P__1089__(2010)page: -- 2


The Death Of Hippolyte[total lines: 30]

A belt, a girdle, a gift from the gods,

A reward, a weapon, a piece of armor,

The belt of Hippolyte, Queen of the Amazons.

Women, strong, warriors,

Fighting, living, an army of feminine power,

One breasted to throw and defeat the enemy of the Amazons.

The arrogance of man,

Invading and stealing,

The symbol of strength and victory for the Amazons.

The appearance of a hero,

Disguising the face of a thief,

Coming to destroy the world of the Amazons.

What was the purpose?

Who was the opponent?

Did he conquer the enemy?

Or did the enemy conquer the Amazons?

The hero of the ancient world,

An army of women warriors,

Who was in the right?

Amazons armed to fight,

Man comes to steal,

The Death Of Hippolyte -- P__1090__(2010)page: -- 1


Who was the victor?

The truth, only legend can tell.

The Death Of Hippolyte -- P__1090__(2010)page: -- 2


Aeneas[total lines: 26]

His Tyrian mistress now laid to rest

Inimical forever by her request

Onwards to the Hesperian land

To build a race that would one day be grand

Italy, and the Empire of Rome,

Where Teucrian Penates reclaim a home

So much left he has yet to endure

For the wrath of Juno, in all its grandeur

Unjustly fell upon one pious man

To stop this quest he so sadly began

But although the destruction of Troy came

Lavinium, Alba, Rome win eternal fame

Aeneas -- P__1093__(2010)page: -- 1


Alone on Parnassus[total lines: 17]

Alone on Parnassus,

The two of them stood.

And as the flood water passes,

All is thought good

Yet Pyrrha and Deucalion

Were all that remained.

Not even the carrion,

Had survived all the rain.

Zeus looked on them kindly,

For they had stayed pure.

He told what to do plainly,

But what it meant they weren't sure.

The bones of the mother were the stones of the earth,

They threw the stones behind them, and thus they gave birth.

Alone on Parnassus -- P__1099__(2010)page: -- 1


Theseus, my Idol[total lines: 23]

Aegeus left sword and sandal under the stone,

If Theseus could lift he could earn the throne.

At the age of 16 he did this feat,

On a journey he went for his dad to meet.

But nedea wanted the empire for her clan,

so She devised a clever, poisonous plan.

Aegeus knocked the poison cup to the floor,

Medea left and was seen no more.

Theseus went into the maze,

and hit the minotaur into a daze.

The Minotaur was big and he wasn't nice,

anyone he hit paid the price.

Leaving the island he did not bother,

to switch to a white sail for his father.

Seeing a black sail Aegeus filled with sorrow,

he jumped out of his window to no tomorrow.

Theseus met Pirithous and they became best friends,

he helped Pirithos untill the end.

They were trticked by sitting in the Chair of Forgetfullness,

untill Hercules came along and rescued Theseus.

Theseus, my Idol -- P__1109__(2010)page: -- 1


From Slave to Roman[total lines: 54]

Paste or type your entry here.

I was born as only a slave

Who owned nothing but filth and dirt

And could barely maintain survival.

I was on the brink of death,

I wasn't free,

And I could never be a Roman

My dream wasn't to be a Roman,

Just anything but a slave

So that I could walk free

Along the roads of dirt

Without the fear of death

Hindering my very survival

I decided the path to pride's survival

Could only be reached by fighting like a Roman.

I ran away, risking death.

No longer would I be a slave,

I thought, running along the dirt.

I would run as far as possible until I was free

After a long journey, I was free

From the place that threatened my survival.

My haggard clothes stained with dirt,

I couldn't be mistaken for a Roman,

But at last I had escaped the label of a slave.

From Slave to Roman -- P__1110__(2010)page: -- 1


The only thing that could take that away was death.

Now joined in a legion, every day I fought in the face of death,

But on my own accord, because I was free.

I stared down my opponent as if he were only the slave

I used to be. In my hands I clutched my sword, my survival,

Fighting with the pride of a true Roman

Surrounded in battle by blood-stained dirt

Watching soldiers fall dead in the dirt,

I spent every night, every hour, every second eluding death.

With each day I grew more as a Roman.

With each kill I pulled myself free

From my past. As the conquered pled to me for mercy and survival,

I was left no choice but to deem them forever a slave.

I spent my entire life altering my destiny, rising up from the dirt

And giving my existence value and prestige before meeting inevitable death.

I have completed the journey from slave to Roman.

Formation of a Sestina

A sestina is a form of poetry that has six stanzas consisting of six lines each and then one stanza

consisting of three lines. The same set of six words ends the lines of each of the stanzas, but in a

different order for each stanza. Numbering each word as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, the lines in the poem



must end in the following order: 123456; 615243; 364125; 532614; 451362; 246531; 246.



Two Faces of the Sphinx[total lines: 41]

Strange is it that I have an appetite for human flesh?

Beautiful, perhaps, I could be called

For is an angel not beautiful?

Graceful, I could be called

For is a lion not graceful?

What then, compels me to fill my stomach with those unlucky ones?

My breath has a fetid scent and I inspire fear.

Should I not be deity rather than demon?

I am the Janus of Thebes

My one face, most excellent,

Asks the most intriguing question, the famous Riddle.

My other face, ravenous,

Two Faces of the Sphinx -- P__1111__(2010)page: -- 1


Is the last thing so many wretched travelers have seen.

I feel myself as a means to an end, in some great story.

I have no control.

I have only to wait for a king to release me

So that I can release myself.

Two Faces of the Sphinx -- P__1111__(2010)page: -- 2


Life of a Soldier[total lines: 44]

Born into this world

One of Rome's true sons

Trained from a young age

There's no time for fun.

Sword, shield, and helmet

Are his only friends

Taught to fight and fight

â€˜Till the very end.

Duels on practice grounds

With brothers in arms

Preparing to die

So far from their farms.

Marching to the field

Thoughts put in his mind

He's just a machine

A clock that Rome winds.

Staring at the stars

On what's his last night

He thinks of glory,

The upcoming fight.

Slashing and hacking

There's blood all around

Life of a Soldier -- P__1113__(2010)page: -- 1


Looking side to side

No help to be found

A pain in his side

He puts a hand down

It's covered in blood

A dark-reddish brown.

He falls to the ground

A stab in the back

He thinks of his wife

And it all goes black.

The day has been won

â€˜Round the city Rome

But for this soldier

There's no going home.

Life of a Soldier -- P__1113__(2010)page: -- 2


Odi et Amo[total lines: 36]

Catullus says

odi et amo

I hate and I love

well

sometimes I agree.

Like Aeneas, you can be so devoted

like Penelope so patient, Ulysses so dedicated

like Lucretia so faithful.

But at other times

you are as vain and ego-centered as Narcissus

as proud as Niobe, with a hero's hubris

like Theseus, "immemor",

as cruel as savage Juno.

It hurts me, pierces my sorrowing heart

but somehow

Odi et Amo -- P__1119__(2010)page: -- 1


I don't know why

I still love you

Odi et Amo -- P__1119__(2010)page: -- 2


Daphne's Entreaty[total lines: 43]

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

go my feet

as they strike the unforgiving dirt. And,

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

goes my heart

As Apollo's ruthless, lustful chase continues.

I curse the god who loves me so, for making me run,

for making me hate.

for making me want to die.

If the ground would just swallow me up,

show me some mercy,

I would love the earth. Give it all the affection my pursuer will never receive.

But here on the surface, deep down in my heart,

I don't want to feel

anything

anymore.

Gasping for air, I fall to my knees, pleading,

imploring, beseeching, my swift and handsome and eternal father to deliver me, from this

nightmare.

The river listens. Silent, swift, urgent.

Daphne's Entreaty -- P__1120__(2010)page: -- 1


And he senses my panic, my fear, my tension.

And he senses my anguish, my torment, my agony.

And he hates that I hate

that god, that man, that animal

who declares with such conviction

that he loves me.

But in the blink of an eye, the flash of a wave,

all the pain falls away, races downstream.

My muscles tense, harden, sinews transformed,

My hair grows verdant, lush, golden locks mutated,

My feet, enveloped in earth's bed, stay fast, metamorphosed,

My prayers, answered, sing joyous within me.

Daphne's Entreaty -- P__1120__(2010)page: -- 2


The Muses[total lines: 4]

The Muses sing and dance and play,

But what of that and what of they?

If i were them, but for a day,

Would I too sing, and dance, and play?

The Muses -- P__1128__(2010)page: -- 1


A Sonnet to Dido[total lines: 15]

O Dido, how did I leave divine thee?

Weeping on the banks of your own kingdom,

Clutching your chest and calling out to meâ€”

I yearned to return back but could not come.

Fate and destiny dragged me far off away

As the winds of adventure push and pull.

The gods control me and they do not say

Why I depart, leaving you sorrowful.

Now you assault the heavens with lament

Of the lost hero, lover, and husband,

Telling all of Carthage of your torment

While I sail distant and gone from the land.

I see the fires of the pyre burn:

You lay dying; I weep against the stern.

A Sonnet to Dido -- P__1133__(2010)page: -- 1


Rhymes About A Slave[total lines: 26]

A man pulled up another's chin

Wondering where to begin

The teeth were tolerable

But the sour disposition more probable

Sold to the other with just a wave

But he hadn't always been a slave

Born free in Thrace

Possibly in the army fighting some other race

Outlawed, captured, and sold

There was a new life to behold

Walking through the school door

He learned he was sent to become a gladiator

With training and fighting after awhile

The group of gladiators found their skills to be quite versatile

Then with seventy to eighty others he bailed out

Giving the senators something to talk about

Slaves pillaged and gathered

To stop their dreams of freedom from being shattered

Battles broke out and called for much attention

When word spread around of this growing tension

Then a man named Crassus took control

Defeating the slaves was the main goal

In southern Italy, one of the battles took place

And for the slaves it was a disgrace

And what happened there is left to discuss

But is said to be the end of Spartacus

Rhymes About A Slave -- P__1138__(2010)page: -- 1


Orpheus and Eurydice[total lines: 34]

This beautiful yet tragic tale begins with a man named Orpheus,

Music was his love, the best musician of all time he was said to be,

But no note, no strum of his lyre could compare to his love for Eurydice.

There love was strong, the bond was never to be broken.

Until one day Aristaeus notices Eurydice's magnificence,

Which ended up putting the damsal in quite a mess.

She ran away in fear,trying to get from the wicked god.

She was running so fast that she could not see,

And she stepped on a poisonous snake and died in her attempt to flee.

When Orpheus heard the news he was in bitter despair,

The thought of his love never coming back was too hard to take,

So the dangerous trip to the underworld was one he was willing to make.

Because of the three-headed dog Cerberus, many mortals could not pass.

But with his beautiful voice and his lyre on his arm,

The massive dog let him pass because of his soothing charm.

When confronting the king and queen, Hades and Persephone,

He played a song of sadness and sorrow, for his love is what he yearned.

The king and queens hearts were touched, resulting in Eurydice's return.

But as relieved as Orpheus was, there was a catch to this generous gift,

He had to trust that Eurydice was following behind him,

As the two of them walked out of the underworld, he looked back because it was dim.

Orpheus and Eurydice -- P__1139__(2010)page: -- 1


When Orpheus looked back, instantly Eurydice was gone,

And her soul decended back into the world of the dead, for Hades trick was too clever,

Orpheus knew he could not live his life without his love forever.

This is where the story remains unclear,

Some say he was torn apart by animals, or killed by Zeus one may guess.

But we know for sure he died, and joins his beloved in the underworld in happiness.

Orpheus and Eurydice -- P__1139__(2010)page: -- 2


Icarus in Amber[total lines: 20]

Fatherâ€”Fatherâ€”! you call to me.

The water drowns your shouts.

Your desperate cries are flooded

While the people go about.

Those gadding women have no heart

Or cause to be bereaved

Men whistle as they roam the town

And see, but don't perceive

Capricious tides of carefree fate,

Clutched by some heartless god,

Crash your form against the rocks.

He sighs a solemn nod.

Waters seize your lifeless form,

Drown over you in swells:

The ending of my wondrous boy

Seduced by solar spells.

Oh Icare, come back to me!

Come to the sunglazed daysâ€”

Our times of fleeting innocence

Suspended in a daze.

Icarus in Amber -- P__1147__(2010)page: -- 1


A Day in the Life of Odysseus[total lines: 75]

Paste or type your entry here.

Traveled long and far have I

Only to look helplessly towards the sky.

How theses mythical gods defy

Zeus and the others only stand by.

With happy hearts by victory blessed

There is no time for peace and rest.

Now towards Ithaca we shall sail

What could this journey possibly entail?

With food and supplies simply the cost

Sadly seventy- two were lost.

Now as we leave this treacherous land

Together we must strongly band.

Those who ate the lotus flower

Found they had a loss of power.

Polyphemus was tricky with wine and cheese

A Day in the Life of Odysseus -- P__1152__(2010)page: -- 1


Yet under the sheep we escaped with ease.

Even with Aeolus's winds to guide

The men, my orders, have defied.

From the land of the cannibals we now go

Some Greeks this fortune never to know.

By Circe my men were turned to swine

Leaving me for years to dine.

To Tiresias I now sail

Hoping this profit will not fail.

O' how beautiful the sirens sing

To my mast I'm left to cling.

Sadly to Scylla I sacrificed some

Yet now to Calypso fully I come.

For seven years we had our fun

Now with this love affair I am done.

Thanks to Hermes I may go

To the Phaeacians my stories bestow.



Now before me Ithaca lies

Behind a journey peacefully dies.

Fifteen years have sailed by fast

Now seeming only a thing of the past.

Finally I have left the sea

A son and wife I have with me.

New life to live as king and father

Nevermore for the gods to bother.



how Weak[total lines: 82]

how Weak, the creature that is man!

shivering in the mere presence of Selene,

naught but a thin layer of delicate skin to protect his life,

to keep it from Hades.

though frail, he is born with Choices.

i like this.

i don't like that.

i decide my Fate.

he ages.

(spin, spin, spin)

he matures.

(spin, spin, spin)

how Weak -- P__1154__(2010)page: -- 1


unavoidable affairs play themselves out,

like a well-scripted play.

is it coincidence?

(measure" easy, now)

did i choose this life?

(careful, not too long!)

or was it chosen for me?

Destiny lifts his icy gaze.

his eyes pierce my Soul like a dagger.

Et tu, Destiny!

how Weak -- P__1154__(2010)page: -- 2


Fate.

She is here.

She wraps her rigid talons 'round my neck.

i shall die at the hand of Atropos.

life, be Damned!

i close my eyes and whisper,

Come and get me.

(snip)

how Weak -- P__1154__(2010)page: -- 3


In The End[total lines: 30]

In the beginning,

We thought that maybe this could be

The beginning of something more

So much more

Than just us and the world

No one else knew, and

No one else could see,

What Venus had shown us, and

That's what made it so perfect to me

But then the rains,

That brought us so much life

Came and washed it all away

Never to be seen, and

Never to be heard from again

But if there was a way to return

You know I'd find it

Oh, sweet goddess of love,

Remind me, show me again

And in the end, if all else fails,

Either I will find a way,

Or I shall make one

In The End -- P__1155__(2010)page: -- 1


So, wish me luck,

Cause I'll be needing all the luck in the world.

In The End -- P__1155__(2010)page: -- 2


Ares[total lines: 25]

Ares

Ares, god of war

One of twelve Olympians

Romans called him Mars

Was the son of Zeus

Likes a good bloody battle

Determined to win

Known for bronze armor

Chariot with stallions

Plus his sacred birds

Ares had a son

Who was very murderous

Hercules killed him

If you feel the wrath

Of this god of war, Ares

You are in for it

Ares the god of war

One twelve Olympians

Romans called him Mars

Ares -- P__1159__(2010)page: -- 1


If I were a Goddess[total lines: 24]

If I Were a Goddess

I would like to be Venus

Free, beautiful, and flying

Like a dove.

Yet, what if I were the goddess of the moon?

Under which its glow

I, Diana, would hunt.

What if I were born from the head of my father,

As wise and crafty as Athena herself.

Imagine me Ceres

Running through fertile fields of grain.

Perhaps I could be Juno, my scepter in hand

As I protect my kind in union and birth.

I could bless your home and light your hearth

If maybe I were Vesta.

What fun it would be to be a goddess

All the things I could do.

But, alas, I am human,

Bound to the land.

For now, I can build

My own Olympus

Right here on earth.

If I were a Goddess -- P__1163__(2010)page: -- 1

Documents

Poetry P 1028 (2010) The Tale of Romulus and …An archer, a goddess, I'd only seen once Bathing in a shallow pool Teeth, claws, they tear my flesh, Bite by bite, my life it wanes,