The Gladiator

Outside the gladiator's window, outside in the growing gloom of night, The nearby volcano is almost invisible, only smolders silently now. Inside his room, he can almost tangibly feel the darkness gathering about him, Can almost tangibly feel it surrounding him, suffocating him with renewed Fear of what may befall him tomorrow in the arena. As cold and oblivion press in on him from every corner of his lonely room, The tragic corpse that is the entire Material World molders on. With a shudder of horror, and with a whimper, the gladiator hangs his head low. But his surrendering to his fear is no real option for him: If he loses this battle, Then he knows Rome will surely win. Fighting back his despair, the gladiator finally curses the dark And lights his oil lamp. Immediately the shadow of death flees to the corners of his room. He knows that there is a Way forward for him. He begins to don his Spiritual armor. As he wraps himself in the truer armor of Faith tempered with Reason, what was his quailing heart beats stronger, with an iron will. He knows that the ignorant, ultimately wretched blows of the Material World in the arena cannot defeat him. Although still somewhat frightened, he has faith that he is impervious inside His armor's glinting, ringing plates. Truly, knowingly philosophic, the gladiator will rise Above all Material destruction. The sacred empty Tomb, Its stone rolled back, and Marshaling all his strength and faith, He draws aside the tawdry, ragged curtain of His worldly disbelief. Matchless, boundless power Floods his body. Humankind's darker nature vanishes. Beauty will indeed save humankind, in spite of the Merely human. Sacred, Gnostic twin fish rise lazily, calmly, Breach the mere surface of all things Material. Then rolling golden scales, The fish descend once again into the Depth, Into the Rest: Images of Images deeper, Roots Deepest, Be they in Heaven above Or on Earth below: Blazing, almost blinding Light, Ecstasy, Knowledge, Peace, The God of all gods, the One God of Love: Omnipresent, All- Powerful, All-Compassionate, Divine Reality. (The above poem is dedicated to Aurelius Prudentius Clemens, renowned "Last poet of imperial Rome" ((348 CE - circa 410 CE)); and to Ray Manzarek, influential intellectual/musician; poet/songwriter; author; producer, film-maker ((1939 - 2013)); and to Paul Kantner, influential intellectual/musician; singer; poet/songwriter ((1941 - 2016)))