Rather serve the noble
Than rule all the base.
Suffering, learning, I have
Travelled long, too long,
Tempted and tempted,
Still more than for peace
I long for home, to approach
The house lit and warm,
My son inside laughing,
And to sleep with my wife.
I have seen many meet fate,
Many lives play out, always
Enjoying, often suffering,
Enduring, enjoying to endure,
Yet ever like myself, wry
With cunning, I have moved with wit
Quick as lightning, and schemes,
Through the deep thunder’s sound
And the eyeing of masks I have seen
Others seeing, and myself.
It took years and years of wandering.
Here I am. There stands the trial,
To be myself. And look at them,
Doomed and they don’t even know it.
Look at them, their little la-di-da outfits,
Whispering nervously to each other,
All the swagger gone now,
Now that they have to prove it,
And no mind paid to me, a vagrant,
A worthless nobody, they think.
In my house, we take a poor man in.
That is an old noble edict of Zeus.
Zeus sees all. He sees the first fail.
His daughter, Athena, fights beside me.
Who then is the real imposter, eh?
Here I am in my house. And, ha!
Another fails! Strange how after
Years here he acts so nonchalant.
Who’s the real imposter? I’m here
In my house, disguised. They’re here,
In my house, disguised as me.
I am disguised as a guest, which means
I am not what they are disguised as.
That is merely my disguise. Here we go.
Antinous! Goodbye. I strolled up meekly,
Heart ablaze with cruel delight. I won.
I killed them all. Their real blood,
Covered my flesh, not a scratch on me.
I bathed and then there she was.
We made love all night,
And between each round, I wove
The tale of my years away.
I told it so her mind conceived
What it was, not as a history,
But gave it flashing light, and before,
Terrifying darknesses, and, after,
A rosefingered dawn, as in the Mysteries.
And with the air all sweet and rich
With a manic peace and practicality,
We all walked out, my father, my son,
My wife—and we stood against all.
Wretches! Turning on their king,
King, not tyrant, not Emporer,
King of this rocky island, for what?!
For slaying, not forgiving, his trespassers!
They want vegeance, not justice.
I and three slayed one hundred and eight
Last night, and I am fresh and wild
From making love. No nymph, or man,
Or woman, will talk me out of this.
It is no crime to be the law. Athena
Came down and commanded us,
My family, and the families of all
We slaughtered in ecstatic joy
And justice. And just like that,
We all forgot our enmity,
And the island broke out in firm,
Enduring trust. Owl-eyed Athena,
She pulled me aside then, glared
Right in my eyes, and harshly said
Stop. It’s over. You are not a god.
Remember Achilles.
What he told you in Hades.
Vengeance is ours. Know.
By his rage he assumed it,
Our justice, Zeus’ power.
Ours justice needs nothing,
Not even a reason, to move
In the world. Your justice
Depends on ours. And when
Achilles assumed it,
So went his fate.
I love you
Because you adapt.
Now after years of war
And waves, myriad islands
Of myriad-wayed peoples,
Comes the last, your own,
This now after all
The hardest trial…
You must cease
The urge to test,
To inquire who are these
And what sort. Family.
Remember. This was why.
Lay down your arms
And build.
