Driver of Victory

Victory at the Hippodrome They were hiding their stalls out of sight near the race course at Olympia No signs but everyone knew where they were under cover of dubious propriety On track for instant wealth and gratification the punters gambled for victory At ‘Socrates Hemlock Marketplace’ bets were hedged and money changed hands Most deities were not looking upon the illegal vice and transactions too kindly But Apollo and Hypnos were pragmatic and sanctioned the wagers The Gods of healing and addiction attempted to settle their scores Off or on the wagon and the odds were even as pockets were emptied As Plato suggested the soul could be saved when balance gathers momentum The rational the appetitive and the spirited seeking complexion of harmony Three ranks of community but there were up to sixty contenders in the contest ‘I know that I know nothing’ had survived hypocrisy but to be sure Epicure Consulted the oracle in Delphi nothing wrong with a bit of divine guidance A bit like ‘mirror reflection on the ancient wall who is the fastest of them all’ Charioteers directed intellect and reason to guide the horses to one truth of all Had to make sure that the two stallions would not take off in different directions Two winged creatures one mortal and obstinate the other immortal and upright Both ways it swung with two glorious and yet disparate steeds Would it be modesty and temperance or insolence and pride Zeus patiently stayed impartial and saved his thunder for later He was not beyond reproach anyway with a weakness for women and adultery Vices were of various kinds and we all have to sort out or illustrious affairs Hermes the trickster backed the stakers while Dionysus was too drunk to decide The teams lined up for prime position at the hippodrome and tension grew wild Hades God of wealth reaped his spoils but Tyche spun chance fortune and fate The arbiter of virtuous living awaited his turn until everyone lost all they had Arete as a fountain of fulfilment of purpose did not stand a chance Because Hedos went to the finishing line with pleasure and sensual thrills In the end every plunger wasted his fortune and faced the wrath of demise As always it turned out to be a gamble too many and the Greek Empire crumbled The story of squandered wisdom is still out there for interpretation and learning Only Nemesis survived annihilation and cast her arrogance for future civilizations 15th June 2019