Ulysses’ Final Journey
POETRY FORMAT, 7 Mar 2022
Emanuel E. Garcia – TRANSCEND Media Service
Photograph courtesy of Ana Kyriou
Penelope dead, my son in mourning,
I took a skiff along the craggy shores
I had no thirst for the world of men
My sleeping country slept,
Athena wrapped me in her shroud,
My sinews hard now as I followed
She it was who sang unearthly of forgotten vices,
My hollowed majesty
And I was glad, taking her hand,
To climb,
Longing as I did to stroke her brow
Unguiled,
And knowing I would never reach
March 2022
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Dr. Emanuel E. Garcia is a Philadelphia-born writer, theatrical director, physician (retired psychiatrist), and a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment. He has resided in New Zealand since 2006 and his political essays and poetry have appeared widely on various websites and publications including TMS. His most recent novel, published in 2021, is the story of an Italian wayfarer entitled Olympia. Website: www.emanuelegarcia.com. Email: emanuelegarcia@gmail.com.
Tags: Poetry
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 7 Mar 2022.
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Such an exquisite poem! We are there in that skiff with Ulysses, away from the world of men.
A technical point. Should it not be Odysseus if you are mentioning Athena.
Ulysses as you know is the Roman version of Odysseus and therefore Minerva would be the Roman equivalent of Athena.
Again just a technical point for consistency.
It’s meant to bring both worlds and times together in a transcendent poetic blur