The Fraud Of Gods Poem by Joseph S. Josephides

You who take a sunbath on earth, combing your hair
waiting prompt Hercules of virtue to solve your problems
to go and fetch for you on table the Apples of Hesperides,
why do you expose him to the fraud of arrogant Gods?

Hence, my duty is to support him. So, I advice him:
‘Hold for me the sky and I’ll bring you the Apples’.
Athena intervenes, ‘Atlas, why do you support him so? ’

‘Because his soul suffers for whoever suffers’, I reply,
‘only such unadulterated athlete can erect Olympia.
Harm him not, else he'll be immortal and you mortal’.

Then, amazingly, Athena changes her attitude at once,
relieves Hercules with her left hand. The wise goddess
saw that the fraud had short legs not for a long distance
life is short, one must save them to enjoy when he is old;
If Athena pushed him, would have squashed your hope.

At least there are gods who conceal their fraud, when
they conceive that immortality with fraud is destructive.

The sun sets, your sunbathing is over, duty is on,
step on the earth and support our sky with your hands.
Those with clean, guileless hands, deserve such Apples.

Because indifference is chaos; while virtue is the sky.



© JosephJosephides