This is Part Four of The Return, my Odyssey retelling.
Part One: Penelope Waits is here.
Part Two: Telemachus Schemes is here.
Part Three: Calypso Sings is here.
Curse the Gods
& all those who follow them
I am not a fatalist but I know
we are all doomed
he will escape though
he always escapes
it is us who pay for it
we have faced a monster with six heads
eating our crew-mates, a witch
who turned us into pigs,
women with beautiful voices
trying to lure us ashore,
a giant who dashed the heads
of the crew against a cavern wall
and ate them whole, & of course
Gods seeking vengeance for his
transgressions & deceits
& each time
he survives
he always survives
he is my lord & king
but
when you gaze into the chaos
long enough
you get to see how things will
fall into place
he will make it home &
win back his lost kingdom
our wives, sons, & daughters
will grieve, wondering what
became of us
all will marvel at his survival;
the story of the lost sea-wanderer
emerging like Orpheus
out of the Land of the Dead
sparing no thought for us
we will be lost
amongst the waves,
scattered across these islands
& forgotten
he will return
& sacrifice us all for it
Joanne Fisher
joanne the geek 
Beautifully penned.. 🖤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Now that’s a part of the story you don’t see brought up very often…
Everyone cheers for the hero and jeers the villain, but all the people around either? Shrug-worthy cannon fodder…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought the other sailors should have a voice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a good idea. I don’t recall many (if any) stories that paused and looked through the eyes of the generally nameless supporting cast and show their view of things.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My parents used to read me The Odyssey when I was a kid. I always felt sorry for the other sailors who never got home.
LikeLike
Admittedly, I was one of those people that didn’t even think about them. All the more reason that posts like this are a good idea…for people like me who tend to forget that those other people were more than just metaphorical oars helping to move Odysseus’s ego ship…
LikeLiked by 1 person