The Invocation (Part of the Logos Series)
(Playwright)
Sing to me, Oh Muses ephemeral!
Sing to me of heroes and mighty gods!
Sing a tale of Troy, for the war that I fought
is not to be spoken of. Forgotten.
So let my dreams and fears be reflected
within the fireside tales of Troy that was.
Of Men and Gods who strode the world and
their story echoed through all of time.
I pray to Hermes to bring me a friend
who knows the path I strode. Who Lived it full
I beg Hades to grant leave for but a single eve
to tell the story that man has lost.
Perhaps summon Aristophanes to bring forth a jest
and make the mighty shake with joy and fear.
Or bring Great Sophocles to make the evil know
the depths of sins, and the judgement that waits.
Or bring Euripides to my beach on holiday.
To speak of how things will be better.
Perhaps a trip to Egypt will treat me fairer
Than memories of the narrow streets of Babylon.
Oh bring me a shade of one who fought
bring me a shade of one who loved
I care not if they're great or small
only that their dreams echo mine
Oh Athena, guardian of those
who fight unwilling save for home and duty
Whisper to me the wisdom that you offered
To man without price. That which was cast aside
as a drag upon the ambition of man
by those who think to be far wiser
than their hubric pretensions can support.
I kneel in the sand, and reflect again.
The waves crash, the fire burns. Wind sings sweetly.
I look and see the ships as they pull upon the shore,
And with a final thanks to his guide and generous tip
to the ferryman, My shade arrives.
Far taller than I thought he would be.
His visage familiar, yet foreign as all other men
to the sight of one who lives within walls.
Welcome friend, speak well and I shall listen.
Comments
The Playwright does NOT have to be me...
Because In a two person production, this part will need to be played by a woman to counterbalance Antisthenes.
Now, quick autobiographical note. This is reflective of a moment that occurred to me right before I headed off to Iraq. I think Athena answered that prayer, but Gods don't just hand out wisdom. You have to earn it, and boy howdy I think I did.
Thanks to her for this moment, thanks to the muses for letting this personal piece flow nicely. Honestly, I'm tearing up a little right now at the memory, because this one hurt to write, but dammit, I needed to write this, and I didn't know it till I was writing it.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
Good morning and thanks yet again, detroit. This is a great
series, in part because we can watch it unfold, and in part because of the explanations and commentary included with each piece.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
You're welcome, and thanks for the compliments.
As of right now, this looks like it's going to be a 3 act play, with 2 intermissions.
I hope to write far more for the chorus after the main pieces are done. Essentially, the Outline is as follows:
The Logos of Antisthenes,
A Play in Three Acts
Act One: The Muses
Act Two: The Heroes
Act Three: The Gods
Act three was the EASIEST for me to write, because it has the most distance from me in thought and space. The Muses are a little harder, although they're FUN, they hit me pretty hard emotionally, because I feel I'm putting a lot of my own truth into them.
Honestly, I'm worried about when I get to the Heroes, because I intend to go hardcore on the Iraq war. I've already written one of the pieces, and I was in tears when I finished it. (Logos Of Penelope. It's a love poem, and it's pretty realistic, which is unusual for love poetry.)
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
Beautifully done, as this entire series of yours has been.
The Muses have indeed smiled upon it; and that should dry your tears.
I am sorry for not replying to each essay in this wonderful series, but the highs and lows on my side of the computer screen have been quite a journey. I hope it ends well.
In my ideal world, war would not exist. Second best: only those who decide to involve their respective nations in war would fight it. Third best. Only one volunteer from each country fights, ala David and Goliath.
(My deepest and most sincere apologies to all who fought in the planet's many wars through the millennia.)
Thanks for reading.
Course, I'm better now, and it just makes me feel GOOD to read it now. It's like the old adage about a cyst. Ya gotta get that crap out, and then you can heal.
Thank you for reading, and I'm glad that the anti-war bent of my piece is pretty obvious. Thanks also for taking the time to drop me a note on this, because it always does raise my spirits to get a good response. (And the one that REALLY hurt to write wasn't today, so at least there's that.)
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
You are most welcome. You more than earned favorable
responses.