Odysseus, Poseidon: the Final Confrontation Revised Twice
My friends all dead, Poseidon's gaze falls last
Upon me, broken, clinging to a raft,
He low’rs his fist, and shatters present, past
And future… now a yards-long broken shaft
Is all I have to save me from the sea,
I choke and spit, and swim for shore -- ‘tis near --
Then find the Cyclops swimming after me…
Though blind, he had pursued me; rage and fear
Had made him stupid, and the splintered beam
I grip, I thrust into his open maw
“Poseidon! Next, he dies, or you redeem
Me from the sea, and from dark Hades’ craw!*”
Then falls a sudden calm… Cyclops is gone
I swim to shore – ‘tis Ithaka, at dawn!
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*In the Greek legend, Polyphemus, the Cyclops, was said to be the Son of Poseidon
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2/12/2019
Submitted for: Movie Magic Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Gregory R Barden
Movie: 'The Odyssey', Character: Odysseus
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