we die forgotten
The Chorus -
Cunning, not the feat of arms, brought fair Ilium low,
Unmasked Achilles gambit leading him to Troy,
Drove the swift knife into Iphigenia's breast
To ply cruel Artimus for fair following winds.
But the fates cut many lives short on Ilium's shores
Hopes of glory dashed for thousands who fought and died
Their shadows haunting Hades’ dark, lifeless halls:
Noble Hector no match for enraged Achilles,
Nor the son of Peleus, Paris' swift arrows.
Who won the laurel of Achille's golden armor
And was named Greatest of the Greeks if not Ajax?
But he who knew no honor save ruthless cunning,
Wily Odysseus, gained both, and the better man,
Mighty Ajax, fell upon his sword in sorrow,
His soul traveling the lonely roads to Hades’ keep.
But the gods' wroth did not end at the sack of Troy,
Agamemnon would rue his daughter's sacrifice
When his wife and her lover knifed him in his bath.
But he who deceived Troy with the horse filled with Greeks
Would spend ten long years failing to return to home....
...
Danger dogged our poor ship at every turning,
And after each our numbers shrank, first the cyclops
Then facing the ravenous six-headed Scylla,
And when we foolishly raided Helios's cattle.
But Circe's isle led to all the hell that followed....
...
Comments (8)
Well-wrought! You wrote a wonderful series of poems on the theme of silence, each one, but this one was especially striking to me!
What a heartbreaking last line! And beautiful imagery!
The imagery fits perfectly.
Why do cherry blossoms have the power of sadness?
Omgggg, unrequited love is truly devastating! Your poem was so poignantly beautiful!
The imagery of the cherry blossom is apt - beauty dies and what is left? Another lovely acrostic, Cindy.
This acrostic is rich in pathos and reminiscent of countless haikus that construe the fall of cherry blossoms as symbolic of the fragile ephemerality of beauty, which you capitalize upon adroitly herein.
A beautiful piece, Cindy. Unrequited love is painful indeed.