On Rereading the Odyssey

slow i have been

coming to this

hard truth

ever deceitful

odysseus

with you up

on the shelf

in various editions

as a constant

companion

in my modest

house

ever longing for

fidelity and a hero

to believe in

after the cartoons

and the movies

and remakes

by fiennes and

damon and bean

when so many now

walk in your shadow

that the message

behind the cunning

constant

tears

was that you

were a less than

credible

source

for the cause

of the dying of

your faceless

companions

for the gods’

arbitrary

interventions

for the lust

and betrayals

that spewed

from your

thighs and shanks

and salted

loins