Madness Poem by Tiffany Rose Moczydlowski

Odysseus:
Now the billowing sails rest temporarily,
Our mercy from Zeus, who's acting arbitrarily.
We scavenge the shores, searching for nourishment
And find some, which could be punishment.
A curse we discovered that others bear
Embodies a forbidden fruit, supposedly relieving dispair.
The life forces of the Lotus Eaters are entwined
With the steady unhinging of their minds.
An absence of memory is what overtakes them,
An atrocious symptom of the meal consumed by these men.
Alas! The ideas of these baffled beings have made my crew torn,
Hindering our travel, abandoning these ungodly shores.
Stomachs screaming to be appeased unconditionally
Plague my companies, which was the problem initially.

Elipis:
War-weary
Travelers.
there are so
many
suitable
methods to
consume this
anguish you
posses...
Why must you
abruptly
shove our
offers
off of
the
table?
There is no
harm from
this
sweet
sweet
lotus,
This blessing
on humans.
No one
realizes this
but
us.
Why deny
yourself
eternal
bliss?
Why refuse
such an
entrancing
existance?
All of those
worries...
They'll just
wash
away...
Eternity in
simplicity,
along with
peace,
you'll
stay.
No more
painful,
overbearing
memories
weighing
down your
mind.
Here, there is
no evil
of
any
kind.
All of this
death and
decay,
the strife
and sorrow
that is
a plague on
life,
this would
no longer
be your
tomorrow...

Adrastos:
Stripping one of their memories
is also a thievery of
any semblance of hope.
Not even a glimpse of the past
also sets the stage for
an extremely bleak future.
Which precedence would set
an example of a meaningful
or jubilant prospect for
your forthcoming life?
Why should I discard my hope
for the feel of Fidelity's
loving, ecstatic embrace
if it's a possibility?
After so many months of
having the ability to hold
her in my arms already
being stolen away by seafare and war?
After braving man and beast,
Gods and supernatural brutes,
foes of every shape and size,
just for that very opportunity?
Is the light at the end
of the tunnel suddenly
not worth the troubling
trip through the dark?
It would be like a
laborer ceasing to continue
performing his assigned duties
and becoming a beggar because
he no longer believes
a steady income, a home,
and his daily bread
are a satisfactory reward
for hours of sweat and toil.
I pity those of you
who have been deceived,
through the method of the cruel Lotus,
by the twisted hands
of the Fates.