EROS, DO NOT FLEE FROM ME (Continuationem)

EROS, DO NOT FLEE FROM ME (v1.50)

By EPROBLES 

My adventure began on a chilling night when homes of many

Lowered their shades and killed the light.

As sullen souls lay down for bed and fell into their dreams,

Common sense was telling me I ought to follow.

But my heart stood firm, and I, in place of fear!

While conviction, that solid and shiny compass,

Melted color-pale and heavy fright that night,

My plan was nothing more than this: to find the house of EROS

To cure my heart of alder blight!

After Chaos, Gaia, and Tartarus, he was born,

But for me�"as I for him�"this night, my ambition over fear.

The wind howled and tore at my cloak as I crossed that barren field,

Where frost kissed the earth like death itself,

And shadows whispered stories long forgotten,

Their voices filling the silence like ancient tombs unlocked.

Each step, a rhythm of heartbeats, unspoken prayers�"

To EROS, I whispered, "Do not flee from me."

For as my feet tread upon frozen ground,

The sky above turned black as raven’s wings,

And I saw the ghosts of lovers past�"

A procession of spirits, some in joy, others in despair,

Each bound to the fate that love had sealed.

They reached out, their hands like drifting leaves in autumn’s breath,

But I moved past them, for their journey was not mine.

I knew my course�"EROS, the divine, must guide me through the dark.

Suddenly, a flash of light tore through the heavens�"

A meteor, blazing, as if the gods themselves hurled it in rage.

And as it fell, I felt the earth tremble beneath me,

The mountains themselves seemed to bow,

For I now stood at the threshold of time and destiny.

Before me lay the abyss, the great unknown,

Where the souls of the fallen whispered truths too ancient for mortal tongues to tell.

I closed my eyes and leapt into that void�"

Not in faith, but in defiance of the fear that clung to my bones.

I fell through space and shadow, a creature untethered,

And in my descent, I heard EROS's voice,

Soft at first, like the echo of waves on distant shores.

"Love is not a gift, but a fire," he spoke,

"A flame that devours or warms,

A burden and a blessing intertwined,

Only those who bear its weight may find its truth."

And so I fell, deeper still, until I landed upon the other side.

There, in the cradle of the earth, stood the temple of EROS,

Its pillars worn by time, yet shining with eternal light.

A labyrinth of marble stretched before me,

Each step a choice, each corridor a question�"

Would I find love, or be lost within its maze?

In the labyrinth, I met trials anew,

Each one a mirror of my soul’s darkest fears.

The first: a figure shrouded in mist,

Her eyes like stars forgotten in the night.

She spoke not in words, but in silence,

Her presence alone stirred doubt within me.

"Who are you?" I called, but no answer came.

She was the shadow of my own heart,

The part of me that doubted love’s truth,

That whispered, "Turn back, there is no victory here."

I faltered, for her silence weighed more than any words.

But then I remembered the flame of EROS,

The light that flickered, fragile yet enduring, within me still.

I reached into that light and let it guide my way,

Past the shadow, past the fear�"

Until at last, she vanished like a wisp of smoke,

And I stood alone, yet stronger than before.

The second trial came swift as a storm,

A beast of flame and fury barred my path,

Its eyes burned with the fires of the sun,

Its breath scorched the earth beneath my feet.

This creature was not fear, but rage�"

The rage of love unrequited,

The anger of hearts broken and betrayed.

It roared, shaking the very foundation of the labyrinth,

But I did not run.

I stood my ground, and with a voice clear and strong,

I cried, "Love is not yours to destroy,

For it is not bound to pain or loss.

It is a force beyond your grasp,

And though it may burn, it never dies."

The beast recoiled, its flames dimmed,

And as it fell to the earth, I saw within its dying embers

The faces of those who had loved and lost,

Their tears turning to diamonds,

Their sorrows forged into strength.

For love, I realized, is made not only of joy,

But of the scars we carry with us,

Each one a testament to the courage to love again.

At last, I came to the heart of the labyrinth,

Where EROS himself awaited.

His form was not as I had imagined�"

He was neither angel nor god,

But a figure of light, ever-changing,

A reflection of all who seek him.

"Why do you seek me?" he asked,

His voice like thunder in the quiet of the night.

"I seek not just love, but its meaning," I replied.

"I seek the truth that lies beneath the surface,

The force that binds us to one another,

The reason we endure when all else fades."

EROS smiled, and in that smile, I saw the universe itself�"

A vast, unknowable expanse of stars and darkness,

Of birth and death, of joy and sorrow intertwined.

"Love is not a destination," he said,

"It is a journey, a path that never ends.

Those who walk it must do so with open hearts,

For only then can they find the truth they seek."

With those words, he placed a flame within my chest�"

A spark of his eternal light.

"Carry this with you," he said,

"For it will guide you through the darkest of nights.

But remember, love is not without its trials.

It will test you, break you,

But if you remain true, it will also heal you."

I left the labyrinth with a heart no longer bound by fear,

For I knew now that love was not a prize to be won,

But a force to be embraced,

A journey that would lead me to the stars.

As I stepped into the dawn,

The world seemed new,

Bathed in the golden light of love’s enduring flame.

EROS, do not flee from me, for now I understand�"

It is I who must not flee from you.

Eternal Song:

And so, the path stretches onward, beyond the hills, beyond the stars,

Where lovers tread in footsteps old and new.

Their hearts, aflame with EROS’s gift,

Burn bright through the ages�"

For love, once found, is never lost,

But lives on in every heartbeat,

Every whispered prayer,

Every tear shed in the name of the divine.

:: 09.22.2024 ::