The Charon Cycle:
eurydice revisited
I suppose you think you're
the reason behind the myth
and my obsession with the fortunes
of Charon and where he's going to
spend these two coins I carry
in my grubby paw, exchanging them
for a sweaty ride over a blood-warm
river. But this is far deeper
than my usual thoughts on
what a soul's ride is worth,
I'm actually taking the trip.
Just to see what lies on the other bank.
But, honestly, those coins disappear
about his person as if his hands weren't
full of pole and he wasn't steadying
this rotting barnacled skiff
so I don't fall when I step in.
The river steams, and I sing about
sorrow and the feeling of empty
water.
From Lethe, where I drink but a drop,
to Styx where what I've not forgotten
haunts me, your hands follow me,
disembodied, reminding me
of where I should have been, and when.
If you think you're the reason why I'm
seeking Charon's gold you might be right.
for Shannon