Alchemisland

Years of siege, stalemate and tedious pause

Leached away what raw feeling, what zeal,

Dreamy Queen Helen’s theft ordained.

Feral as spurned Hera, He emerges, so-called Hero

From a rent tent wall, wine-rank, sword drawn

Swearing he’ll kill them all, blaspheming both Greek and Trojan Gods.

Terrifying because he is fearless

Hearing the seeress speak

Peeking at unspeakable futures he knows he will never reach.

The men upon the sea still, gripping cleats

As he dispatches his duty, with eerie glee

War’s priest bleak-hearted, greatest preacher in arms

He whom nature obeys, waves seeming to part

Before his dictator’s feet; he of no defeats, of myriad feats

Watch fearless, o’er proud Achilles leap from the prow

And walk down his mark, each remarkable blow creases the foe

His myrmidons sweep the beach, sword blows but bows in reach

Akin a murderdom that narrow, reedful reach

Between brine’s leaderless league

And the gleaming temple he hopes to reach

Which legendary kings, older than Thebes, raised to beseech

Mercury of gilded speech, here by Trojan titles known

But his unmistakable offices

With which his images are symbolically adorned

Mark him as charm and counter’s lord.

See,

How each beach-staining cleave

Seems further to derange his features

Leaving in his wake men well-raked and bleeding, life taking pagan.

Sense shall not be heard this day

Active verbs, tense ever present

Even resident priests

Whom War’s Aresian

Dictates mandate as immune

From slaying, his rabid men cruelly undo.