Asterius Fell Silent

Thanks for the feedback! I can see where the cadence might be awkward. I think I've read the lines so many times that I just put it in a rhythm that, while sounding ok when I say it, may not present naturally.

The poem is about PTSD.

I have a friend I served with that suffers from debilitating PTSD. He has so much guilt and sees a lot of the things he did under orders as terrible mistakes.

I compared the ancient mariner's albatross (Rime of the Ancient Mariner) to a plow the yoked must dredge through a hard life while leaving the field fallow (unplanted). Lots of hardship and pain, no growth or reward.

The next stanza is about Samson. He slew 1000 philistines with a donkey's jawbone. The priests of Dagon tried to bind him but he tore the ropes. He was only defeated when Delilah cut his hair and made new ropes from it that could hold him. In the verse, I try to imply that something has happened to Samson and now he sits at a loom, shearing his own hair, and making his own ropes. He's given up and now does the very things that will destroy him...not unlike how many of those suffering from PTSD resort to harmful activities like drugs and alcohol.

Janus is a Greek god with two sets of eyes. One set seeing all the future, the other seeing all the past. But what if Janus were only able to see endless black? Would he not close his eyes rather than stare listlessly into the void? What is a God whose power is to see that shuts his eyes? Is he even still a god? PTSD often breeds agoraphobia, depression, and asocial behavior...they lay down in a dark room and hide. The shame, guilt, and sadness these people feel darkens everything in their minds. Their past, present, and future all seem hopeless and they get lost in the black.

Oftentimes, people find those with PTSD to be rude, stubborn, or mean because they won't let them get close and refuse to accept help. They see themselves as the leper, the mad recluse, and as someone whose past is ruining their present and future. They refuse this help to spare the helper (the Samaritan) the pain. To avoid dragging them down into the maelstrom of despair with them.

The next verse alludes to the story of Jason. In Jason's myth, his ship must sail by creatures known as Sirens. Their magical song enraptures sailors and causes them to wreck their ship and be eaten. Jason wants to hear the song, so he orders his crew to cover their ears, take control of the ship, and then ties himself to the mast of his ship so that he can't be made to crash it. The siren song of solace, from the poem, is the noise of everyone offering to help. It can be enough to drive you mad. But, to overcome PTSD, you will have to tie yourself to the mast. You will have to rely on those around you to help steer the ship while you listen to the sirens song.

The Cretan lair is the labyrinth. In the myth, Ariadne gives Theseus a spool of gold thread and a sword to fight the minotaur. The thread is to be unwound as he moves through the maze so he can follow it back to escape. The sword, of course, is for attack and defense. This verse talks about how those who do not suffer from PTSD cannot truly understand the fear and pain it instills. The sufferer is lost in their mind's maze with nothing to guide them, nothing to protect them...but those who come to offer aid are not trapped. They're not alone. How can they possibly understand?

Asterius is the true name of the minotaur. He was born to Queen Pasiphae as a punishment to her husband, King Minos, for insulting Poseidon. Asterius was not evil but Minos hated him. He had the labyrinth built and imprisoned him alone inside. At first, Asterius howled, and screamed, and bellowed, and stamped his feet until the ground shook. He was pleading for help. For someone to come rescue him...but he had a bull's head, with a bull's mouth, and a bull's tongue...he could not make human speech...so he just roared and thrashed. This scared the villagers and they called him a monster and they praised Minos for locking him away. After a time, Asterius stopped begging for help and became the monster they made of him. This verse talks about how those with PTSD often anger quickly and this anger is frightening to those around them. A cry within the labyrinth from someone who just doesn't know how to ask for help.