Visions
Telemachus
Son of the wandering Odysseus,
strange Classical name
for an Eastern Christian monk,
yet not so strange,
faithfulness and loyalty
marked them both.
And are we not
all wanderers,
sojourners in a strange land?
Into the arena
he plunged,
separating the combatants
as in his Lord's enigmatic
descent into Hell,
scandalizing the prudent,
making trouble,
rocking the boat,
disturbing the status quo,
rightly understood as
"The mess in which
we find ourselves."
Torn to bits by an angry mob.
And yet,
never again,
the murderous sport
of the arena!
For him a martyr's crown
and more:seed!
This historic event took place January 1, 391 A.D.,
though Telemachus was killed by an angry mob, the emperor.
Honorious, was so moved by this self sacrificing protest
that he decreed an end to the bloody games of Rome
which were never again practiced.
strange Classical name
for an Eastern Christian monk,
yet not so strange,
faithfulness and loyalty
marked them both.
And are we not
all wanderers,
sojourners in a strange land?
Into the arena
he plunged,
separating the combatants
as in his Lord's enigmatic
descent into Hell,
scandalizing the prudent,
making trouble,
rocking the boat,
disturbing the status quo,
rightly understood as
"The mess in which
we find ourselves."
Torn to bits by an angry mob.
And yet,
never again,
the murderous sport
of the arena!
For him a martyr's crown
and more:seed!
This historic event took place January 1, 391 A.D.,
though Telemachus was killed by an angry mob, the emperor.
Honorious, was so moved by this self sacrificing protest
that he decreed an end to the bloody games of Rome
which were never again practiced.
Comment On This Poem ---
Telemachus
Telemachus
