Past and Future: Always in Sight

National Poetry Month Display @ Forest Hills (Photo credit: mySAPL)

When the Poetic Asides prompt rose before me on the screen this morning, my mind began to whirl. With a prompt that simply said “Write about something from before your time,” multitudes of possibilities vied for my attention.

What kind of things from the past? What memories of family stories should I tempt with an escape path? Should I do a poem about an event that occurred just before my birth that I could not have witnessed, but which affected me in a personal way?

The poem that I chose to do is one which speaks to and of times in the dim past; time when gods walked among men and creatures of lore were commonplace; a time, whether mythical or real, continues to form much of the basis of literature today.

I hope you enjoy this small effort of mine. It will soon take its place within a book of poetry that I’m working on titled “Forest Primeval,” after I’ve done a thorough rewrite of it.
In The Beginning

When moss covered your stone walls,

And days crept to the staggered step of age,

Memories became legend,

Legend moved to make myth of history.

Horses flew, Olympus reigned.

Dwarves burrowed deep, hammers ringing against gold,

Forging palace treasures bright.

Giants walked and played with gods on this Earth.

Gods fought, jealous foes did war,

Gods’ magics did turn, slaying their jester.

Fist-held power strangled all,

Lightning struck both bearer and those fleeing.

Winged horses, heroes gone,

Man-eating play things making Earth their home.

Beware, Mighty Ones, servants

Who have power to shape the world they own.

For magic ones did travel,

Living where whim allowed for freedom’s play,

Cared not for old gods’ verdicts,

But for personal power gain in time.

Only time will show what prompt will appear for tomorrow’s test of poetic endeavor. Be sure to stop back by to see what time will bring out into the open.

© Claudette J. Young 2012

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