Timeo Danaos et Dona Ferentes

Timeo Danaos et Dona Ferentes

The present seems an unlit room,
For I see future in the past:
A vengeful torment cursed on me –
To know – but never be believed.

I tell of an empyrean scheme,
That trapped a vain and venal boy,
Whose lust for mortal beauty brought
Harsh Nemesis trailed in the wake.

A shattered body dragged through dust
Was augury and truth revealed;
But mother mourns her murdered son,
And listens not to prophesy.

The ships are gone, the beach is bare
Of all but shells and scuttling crabs,
Deceiving everyone but me,
For naught is as it was before.

The looming shapes of topless towers,
Cast shadows on my heart and mind;
Deliverance was but a dream
And I shall never dream again.

The old man speaks with rattling breath,
The war long fought has taxed him dear;
Now spirit weak, I think he knows,
The Gods have doomed us to this fate.

The gate is closed, the realm secure,
Or so they deem, those trusting fools;
So sentries slumber at their posts,
While I alone traverse the walls.

Now all seems quiet in the night,
Yet terror haunts my very soul;
The horse stands silent in the square …
I fear the Greeks when bearing gifts.