By My Actions, Am I Bound

This was a piece that I just had to write. As a fan of mythology, I always get caught up reading articles about it on wikipedia. And one of my favorites is the story of the titan, Prometheus. To give a quick summary, he is credited with the creation of man from clay and the theft of fire for human use, an act that enabled progress and civilization. The punishment of Prometheus as a consequence of the theft is that Zeus, king of the Olympian gods, sentenced the Titan to eternal torment, where he was bound to a rock, and each day an eagle, the emblem of Zeus, was sent to feed on his liver, only to have it grow back to be eaten again the next day. In some stories, Prometheus is freed at last by the hero Hercules. So after reading that again and again, I began to write. And this was the prose that came about as a result.

"By My Actions, Am I Bound"
2011

Chained to a rock on a nameless cliff
At the outer edge of the world.
I await. Patiently, I wait.
On a violation ordered by a God.
Swooping down from the sky he sits upon.
I await. Patiently, I wait.
For my better parts to be plundered now
By a winged beast with righteous beak.
I await. Patiently, I wait.
For at night my parts will return pristine.
So they'll be consumed when morrow comes.
And I await. Patiently, I wait.
But what would cause such a ghastly sight
Is probably what your lips would ask
And whether you feel it's wrong or right
This punishment is for a task
That I once chose to embark upon
By giving a gift of warmth to lowly man
And by the time the day was gone
I knew that my consequence was now at hand
For fate could not be tempted friend
Without the scales falling out of place
And by placing weight on either end
It was like a slap across a godly face
So from Olympus Mount came a verdict loud
That would last throughout eternity
And while I stood among the foolish proud
I can now feel humility return to me
For I'm certain I can win no pity
And that these troubles are my own
And if some soul would come to get me
They would endure a hell alone
So they would be better off advised
To just let this eagle feed
For His will won't be compromised
And I don't forsee getting the mercy I may need
So it is by my actions that I am bound
To this rock that never rolls
And as I am devoured upon this ground
I don't regret my molding of the souls
Who will never know the burdens bore
By the ones so close to Gods
And in closing, I was a fool to just ignore
His wrath and play the odds...