Reaching for Odessa IV
A Work in Progress
71
Her questions were rhetorical
she answered them herself
he heard her speaking Greek
which he suddenly understood
Strophe antistrophe
she questioned then answered
explaining with an epode
hooting in his mind
An owlet and a raven
a snake coiled around her waist
she put him to the test
told him he’d have no rest
Dark matter matters
separates life from death
dark matter moves us
in ways she would not tell
When your brain expands you touch it
its dark matter makes you tough it
trips you when you fall
ignores you when you call
What’s that about a minotaur?
tyrants rise and fall
shunned by all
You won’t find him in Odessa
go no further on your quest
you have an education
that’s why you feel oppressed
leave this island with my blessing
do not return the raven croaked
do not, do not
There were footprints in the sand
where she had stood
walked from him into the dark
come daylight he’d build a raft from wood
now that he understood
Inspired to make a raft from driftwood planks
tied with rope he found on the beach
he paddled away from the island into the open sea
trusting that just as in mythology
he’d find safe harbor
instead, he found the craft he’d steered
at anchor awaiting a crew…
Dick Russell © Richard M Russell
2025
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