Epic Pursuits

Back in the mists of time Were stories sung Where minds in thrall by minstrels Were held With tales revealing Viscerality and viciousness The currency of glory and shame. Who does not marvel at Achilles's pride A ruthless killing machine Unforgiving In his revenge For his beloved Patroclus And shrink At the terrible price paid By brave Hector Before the sorrowing eyes Of his aged parents Therein we see the splendour As well as the grimness When foes collide With his wiles does daredevil Odysseus Charm us And inventive ruses. Yet what horrors,hardship And heartache Were his As homecoming was in his heart With Poseidon vowing vengeance Pain,pleasure and punishment He met In equal measure Before rescuing His priceless pearl Penelope From the rapacity and greed Of the craven suitors. These were the gifts To posterity Handed down By Homer. From these twin tales There grew The exploits of pius Aeneas Driven from his homeland War stricken Driven by destiny To seek a new home. At the behest of Caesar Did Virgil fashion his verse Plundering Homer That his hero Would personal glory and pleasure abjure In a self -denying ordinance To meet duty's demands. Such self-denial cost him Dido Deserted and distraught And brought him Into the depths of Hades From where he rose A new man With a deeper mission To grace the world With its master race, That destiny ordained from above. And we as readers must choose The tale that to our soul sings Touching our humanity Both starkly And with the tight tenderness Of truth.