Five Playful
Poems About Mythological Icons And Historical
Characters
by George A. Renn
Achilles’
Safety Shoe
Achilles’ mom forgot
Her hero son’s one soft spot
She should have sought
Before he fought
A shop with a half-priced shoe deal
For one sandal with a bronze heel.
Even a dip in the Styx
Can work better with a fix.
Medusa
Leaves the Beauty Salon
When young Medusa showed winsome and
sweet
Coifed hair perfumed, straight, clean and
neat,
Each strand, ringlet, braid washed twice
in wine
Fond suitors sought, sighed, waited in
line.
Then plain gods decreed it proper and
fair
To sunder her features with jealous
prayers,
Switch her allure, tresses and headiness
For visions of spoil, discomfort,
distress.
Olympus’s beauty parlor vestals
conjured from old books
To obey—yet Medusa turned famous for
her new looks.
Archimedes’
Bathtub
Who cleaned up Archimedes’ overflow,
When he learned what he needed to know?
What genius fills a tub up to the top,
Then calls for someone else to bring a
mop?
Demosthenes,
After Schooling
Demosthenes sought to orate with
precision,
Keep each word distinct, avoid verbal
collision.
Pebbles in mouth improved discourse
Taught tongue to sing, a voice with force.
With mirror practice, in a short while
Perfected an elevated style.
He soon dazzled all with clear speech,
But rattled them with broken teeth.
Sisyphus
Makes Plans
To ease the weighty rock affliction,
He utters mumbles concerning friction.
The work keeps his mind on rock and roll
While the feet need shoes with softer
soles.
Those playful Fates give his task an
extra twist
With sweat bands, gloves and knees pad
that will not fit.
Gravity likes to help half the time
Only for going down, not on the climb.
He needs potions for chapped hands and
cracked lips
Rubs for back pains, sore neck, and
creaky hips.
If he returned late from a bathroom break,
Would freight turn around, speed away, or
wait?
With the heavy work load, he always loses
Out on holidays, lunch breaks and short
snoozes.
Though job security is great, he should
not wait
To check the best Mt. Olympus retirement
rate.
Does Zeus allow deus ex machina hopes,
For compound pulleys, wheels, and extra
long ropes?
Daedalus might help, he’s clever
Using springs, weights, and the lever. |
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