Charon

[Dark Muse]

Charon

How lonely is his life
drifting down the river
of so many sorrows,
to ferry the souls
in bitter agony,
carried away into the
waiting, everdark.

Destined to live
in an eternal state
of purgatory,
always crossing
between the world
of the living, and the
world of the dead.

His home upon
that old River Styx
where none are glad to
see him, and no fires
to warm his bitter
brittle bones.

His work is a job
never done,
no moment to rest,
but ever he must cross
to and fro through
the waters that never
cease to flow.

His ferry his only home,
and sleep he never has,
nothing for comfort,
but the tokens of the dead.

Chastised for his greed
but these requested coins
are the only gifts he will
receive.

And as soon as he crosses
the bar into the land of death,
these mortal talismans become
so much dust.

He always craves
for another yet to hold
if only for those few precious
moments, as her ferries
one more wayward soul.

[Delta40]

absolutely wonderful. ahh I wish I could express myself better when I read poetry like this. I can see the red colours, darkness, the quiet ripples of the water as Charon ferries souls to the other side contrasted against the stark desolate face of Charon

[Dark Muse]

Thank you! I love the figure of Charon.

[hillwalker]

There's a sense of helplessness here, felt even by the ferryman of souls himself. I love the way you have captured the feeling of the river, and his being trapped on the boat going back and forth presumably for eternity.

I just feel it could be tightened up into a much more powerful piece by removing some of the repetition that creeps in - what you write in verse 4 has already been said earlier (and its opening line 'His work is a job' tends to deflate the mood rather than enhance it - know what I mean?)

[Dark Muse]

I wanted to try and see things from the point of view of the Ferryman, and show him as one who is misunderstood, and becasue of the nature of the work, he himself is tended to be looked upon with repulsion, without taking into consideration his own "feelings" as it were considering the life/lack of life, in which he must live, being perpetually shipping souls back and forth, and none to give him a kind word but lashing out against him for what he must do.

[hillwalker]

I'll give you your due, DM, you always manage to take an original viewpoint on whatever suject matter you choose to write on and this one's no exception.

[Dark Muse]

Thank you! It is one of the things I do try to do. If I am going to write about a subject that may not be original in itself I try to find an original way to apporach it.