Bound

Eternal torment

Prometheus

forever bound

to cold, unyielding rock,

an eagle tearing at his flesh,

feasting ‘round the clock

 

Rubens’

baroque masterpiece,

my nightmares it would feed;

tearing at my innocence,

never to be freed

 

Author's Note

I grew up with a copy of this painting in my parents' room. I have seen the original in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It is an amazing painting - and it still gives me nightmares!

Reviews

[Marie]

That is really a frightening painting. I would like to think that eventually Prometheus got free and was rewarded for his discovery.

[Rita L. Sev]

There is a story of his being freed - I forget who helped him. Zeus really knew how to dole out punishment!

[Jack...]

Rita, you have captured the pain and sorrow of the painting in your beautiful poem. Very nice.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, Jack.

[zainul]

Painting and poem made an epic
Rita,you are a real poetry geek :)

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you, Zainul! :)

[Frieda P]

Sounds and looks like hell no matter how you slice it. Weird one for the bedroom, to each his own, eh? Can understand the nightmares. Like the brevity of this, it's to the point with no filler words, told telling tale with precision.

[Rita L. Sev]

Thanks, Frieda. Kept it short for a reason - wanted to parallel the perpetual torment of Prometheus to the perpetual fear that I felt.

[Baby Ricochet]

Prometheus was the man. Er, Titan. Hey he created us and swiped fire so we could see what in the hell we were doing. That makes him the man Titan in my book. Great poem. I love poems themed on the old Greek tales,

[Rita L. Sev]

Thanks, BR! I love the myths, too; Prometheus definitely a hero to us mortals! But that painting creeped me out!

[Baby Ricochet]

Yeah. That's kind of a messed up painting.

[Angi]

This was in your parents bedroom?! Nightmare inducing for sure! Love this work, Rita. It flows wonderfully.

[Rita L. Sev]

I know - it freaked me out as a kid! Thanks, Angi!

[Angi]

I liked the shortness of this piece, gave it an urgent feel. I say well done!

[Rita L. Sev]

Thank you - I know you like the shorter poems! I really was going for a simple parallel with this one.

[Trigorin]

Your inspiration is fairly good, but your execution is a little lacking. Your imagery is very overdone and you've really kept this too short to redeem it through any sort of narrative method. I think you ought to expand it a little and perhaps use some more evocative imagery.

[Rita L. Sev]

Say what you will about my poem, but I just have to point out that my inspiration is a masterpiece painting - that's gotta rate higher than "fairly good".
Thank you for your review.