THE POETIC ADAPTATIONS OF;

The Odyssey

J. MASTERSBENSON POLYTECHNIC HIGH SCHOOL

PORTLAND, OREGON2014-2015

Calypso, The Sweet Nymph

Dawn rose to mortal and immortal menZeus, the thunderer and gatherer of clouds awoketo the feel of inhospitality upon Calypso's isleto think of kindnessof gentility and founded structure

Odysseus suffers miseryof an exotic nymphHe to never trespass on his homeland once more

Not to depart with lack of oared ship and crewto carry across the unforgiving sea

Son, Telemachus, homeward boundas his searches for father concludeDismally lacking of hopeHis intentions thwarted

Zeus commanded his own Hermes,the light footed and faithful sonAn ever faithful messenger,to tell the islander Calypsoa nymphof his plans to receive Odysseus In Scheria's rich soil

Days of construction pay offAs Odysseus concludes his raftAnd sets off for a land in which he is treated as DivineTo then be sent by ship to his native isleTo see his subjects

and family

Hermes skimmed and swooped along the waves of the relentless sea'Till he reaches the distant isleWhere a lovely nymph livedTo find her at peaceAt home

A home to which even an immortal Might marvel in the glory and tranquility of itsand her ownMajesties

All is knownafter explanations are givenAnd Odysseus departs on his raft of reasonable hopein search of the home he once knewOnly to be battered and bruised by the pursuing winds and wavesThe likes of whom could only be controlled by Poseidon himself

Aloft float destroyed,he trudges the sands to landand sleeps in the land that his eyeswere destined to see

The Lotus Eaters

Top of the morning to you! My seamen and I have been wandering the sea for a number of days when we finally stumbled upon an island with something nourishing. Our GPS had failed us, and the IPhone 6 lied about its maps' features. We felt as if we were living in "Life Of Pi" except none of us were hindu, named after a swimming pool, or exercising the civil practices of the Donner party. And so befitting was it that this isle wasn't carnivorous yet, did have fresh water... excluding the meerkats and dying whales.

We made it ashore expectant of our thoroughly deserved luncheon. I sent some men to scavenge the land and search for the inhabitants. Not to our surprise at all, this island was post-apocalyptic. To the same extent were Wall-E and Bi & Large Inc. The men were offered honey and twinkies, though the bees and conglomerates had left terra quite some time ago. These ignorant men of our company knew not whether or not to eat the sweets of the maidens' long suffering. Wise as they were, they returned and consulted us. As we knew that the terrorists of the new world order were only trying to take our minds off of our primary objective, we fled hastily. Illuminati code deeply embedded in their minds and souls.

We reminisced about all the fun we could have had fattening and returning to our true homeland: space. I could've been HAL, and my men to have stuck at Dave's level. Physical activity would not have been needed. Yet, we were still right in our decision to make our bones worth something and appeal our singular God. Something told me that all would be well and silent, as the island we overcome, did the same to the overwhelming majority of society as we knew it.

The Cyclops

One dayinfamous in historyNohbdy Came

Polyphemus and Poseidon,What a curious pair?God of the seas birtheda one eyed monsterMonster with monstera societal bond formedYet never to band togetheragainst Nohbdy

Hospitalitywell-grounded in ancient culturesPoseidon must not have taught his monster wellas all 'less civilized' monsters followed customary proceduresOf which poor naive Polyphemus assumed to be custom

Weary of unexpectedly odd voyagersstumbling ungraciously upon his landsOdysseus must be upto somethingperhaps noht

Gifts were givenfrom monsters to men

Death was hoped forfrom the underwhelming son of the god of the seas

Odysseuscurious of culturesand changesnot too deepIntelligent and godlyReliance on witsGreeting horrors as NohbdyPerceived by a generic audience as N/A

Wines received by the soon to beConstrutor of conspiracy theoriesThinking it to be of no harmHe drank into his own abyssNever more seen;His fully conscious stateLess and less awareLess and less concerned

No trickeryJust WisdohmAs Odysseus and company provided sheltered slumberFor a beast of inequal virtues

Time of the essenceSharpened pole heated in dim embersIn turn, poked in Polyphemus' singular eye Blinding him eternally

In rage and futility, he threw a mountaintopAt Odysseus' fleeing men

Once afloatOnce in the state of blissful ignoranceA large wave had been builtfrom the newly formed oceanic mountTo leave in a rushFloating in the same manner

PoseidonThe perfect fatherWise guardian of sea passagesHad no care in his rock heart for his youngestAnd no foundation to stand onOnly bias to envyEvermore

The Land Of The Dead

Unknown dwelling placeof the earth-bound Prince of ThebesFourth dimension?Parallel universe?Nay!This God,unparallel to any present day sorcerer,or teller of fortuneThe Dead,yet immortal Sir defied all laws of nature as hewas only to be summoned,from invisible refuge,by offerings of fine ewe

Wise beyond his undefined years,Teiresias found an even more so brave Odysseusbegging for clear wordsof his destiny and forthright path

Dead spirits rising from the earth,greedy for all that they could never deserveTeiresias obliged to the murder of innocenceby the needs of the master of all ways;land and sea

Expectantly contributed,father of the now blinded immensity,

that is Polyphemus,finds Odysseus’ presence on land unbefittingmaking even he ill at ease

Teiresias then spoke furtherof the path Odysseus must take:‘To avoid the herds of Helios,How could one refuse?Follow through with your intent of awaiting homelandRecall why you began to saIl,if not to disrupt organized chaos?

Once all who wronged you atone in blood,thou must venture further,to an even more so uncivilized capitalProvide great sacrifices to lord Poseidon,in grand hopes they are found worthy

Tell these future happenings,to those who knew you notSolemnly live in a serenity,never before known

The Sirens; Scylla & Charybdis

Prophecy beginning fulfilmentOdysseus takes heed of the warningsCautiously journeying into the regioninhabited only by two devilish immortal fiends

Abominable, monstrous, nightmares of ferocity,these two divine creatures,marveled by allUnwise men care not of their intentonce the terror of sirens come nye

Gracious hopes from clever Scylla and Charybdisoften fulfilled in their search to one daybecome like the God they idealize so much;Amphitrite, wife of Poseidon

Three times dawn to dusk,whirlpools form in the land of the sirensand those eager for displeasure

Orders now given unto his shipmates to venture steadfast and speedilyto remember the task at hand,to escape the immortal,as to fight would be of no useOdysseus alone must be bound to lack of mobility

as he would likely become weak in the majesty of Scylla

Odysseus binds earsof he and seafaring friendswith beeswax,melded obscurely,after only recent penetration of the surface and made to bend

As fast as possible,the ship of Ithaca moves onacross the waters,land ought not be seen,seen starboard

Passionate, enthusiastic songs heardappealing to the mind and soultempting to the endeavor man must takeknowing only that what is seen and heardwill soon transmogrify into beasts beyond nature,they sail even more so faster,scared of what could be to comeOne man is wanted for every mouth

During tiring labors of upsetting travels,one might think all is done,all is well,we will continue evermore at peaceAlthough Scylla returns to lurk beneath,Charybdis lurks but feet ahead

At once there is an immensity of an uproar of waves of the sea!As the songs have ceased, Odysseus comes back to his foreign state of mindand his men remove the beeswax from their fretful, longing earsOdysseus hurriedly speaks of the master planperhaps too late,but crucial to the integrity of all men,all but the six

Panic and frustration finds itself objectifiedas an uproar of unnatural events take place in the water

Oars must be returned to their hands,if they are to become organized once more,to the extent so, that we may pass through this regionwith little to none damage to our personBut oh, so much to our psyche

In but a blink of an eye,and far beyond our control,the same expected six were brought up by tentaclesand disappeared quite unceremoniouslyOdysseus shows little emotion let alone sorrow No effort given to rid mortals of inevitable constructsof the flailing human conditionCaring only of his own safe departure outmuch less so for the faithful few

Twas the worst passage ever sufferedrowing on, ignoring that which had just comecoasting on past the rocksto see the delight of the warming sunonce more

The Cattle Of The Sun God

Defiance amongst the crew,theories of conspiracy lurkingOverpowered by likely threats of abandonment,or danger,not concerning,Odysseus caves inInto a cove

Irreparably arriving,commands are given to,this time fewer, mortal followers of Odysseus to remain calmand eat only of nourishment already collected

Hopeful of better days to come,and weary of sinister events of only days past,master obliges,Commanding precautions to take:To not slay the Cattle of Helios,as one outcome of Tiresias' prophecy would be the one pitfall of an otherwise 'perfect' voyage

Heed taken and vows oathed,time could only tell what might really take place

Trekking to shore,beyond the cove,all became anxious and far from strong,longing

Prayers to the gods keeping Odysseus himself strong,he expects little now of his his underlingsGods, grand and mighty help little morethan removal of fret of lateWell deserved and tranquil execution of slumberfalls upon Odysseus in the bushnot a care in this world we call home

Company resists,taking only what they need to liveAlas, true hunger portrays only need in your eyesAll that is seen is needed, yes?

Cattle now raidedexcessively proud men regret illegitimacy,but appreciate their grandiose effort to be at peace with their stomachs

Odysseus awakes to sudden realizationof travesties that just took placeQuickly fleeing,Helios complains to Lord Zeus,the thunderer and gatherer of clouds,to execute vengeance and restitution on these insolent menHe too having not a care in this world we call homeQuickly striking their swift ship with but a single bright lightning bolt, and shatter it to pieces out on the dark sea

All slain,but the mighty Odysseus,not until soon seen land will true comprehension arriveto the man who thought he ought be invincible

The Meeting Of Father and Son

Years of hardship gone by,King of Ithaca returns at lastYet, not of the customary procedure;Odysseus, having followed commandsof his protector Athena,humbly walks upon the sands of the Swineherd, having deliberated 20 years

Reunited with his faithful servant at last,being almost underwhelmed bya dismal lack of enthusiastic graciousness,or hostility of the Penelope’s suitors,Odysseus is at peaceTemporarily

Telemachus too arrives by similar means,saved from death by his own queryand knowledge of his fathers’ maintained existence

Eumaeus trembles in surprise and gratificationof the Son of the King’s presenceThey earnestly spoke togetheroblivious to a disguised beggarFounded irreverence to the unworthy

having been gone 10 years,treated comparably,no recall to codes of hospitality unto strangerseven less so to his father

The head swineherd Eumaeus,swiftly runs to Penelope,with hopes of gratitude to be spread to himself

Disguised Odysseus alonewith only his thoughts and prayers to Athenato guide himImpatient with suspense,of father and son reunited,with no recognition of one another!She kindly returns the noble, long-suffering Kingto his former gloryby clean tunic and skin anew

Godly Odysseus now with his ever-aware,yet increasingly perturbed son,is greeted with hostilityof the years apartand the disdainful absence of structure

Merciful was Odysseus, patient with befraught son of disbelief, his immortalized and steadfast father condemns brave Telemachus for being of wonder in united gloryand for the woes he has yet to understandas to why (adventures of grave danger)he went missing for so long

Having now understood each other,these two marvelous and godly men no longer longing,nor helpless with emotionHaving nothing more compelling than to weepand plan for better things to come

Distrust no longer of apparent essenceand gratuity fleeting,Things have but to return to normal

The Beggar and The Faithful Dog

Just as the hardships Odysseus endured in his travelshe and his dog Argos' motivation; the hope that they would someday reunitewith the ones they've longed to see againOdysseus to see his sweet Penelope,Argos to see his one faithful companion,but once more

The poor, lonesome pet,devastated by the possibility of neverbeing cared for again,had long been forgottenAbandoned in a pile of dungWhat did he ever do to deserve this fate?

20 years after the fall of Troy,as unexpected as it was for Argos to still live,his master, disguised as a lacking beggar,only he recognized his King,Lacking of strength,still efforting a noble gesture

This flea-infested muttloyal and beloved died in imminent bliss

Animals the play things, pawns, and victims of humans in the same way that we humans are mere play things of the gods

Odysseus has yet to even acknowledge his sickly doghe may never know the happiness he brought to so many,being the intelligent, brave, and strong leader he always wasto the state of ithacaPrevailed

Though, he still doesn’t know of the pain his crew members endured alongside him,Almost too lenient and fatigued to care

Left on a dung pile to rotwas his only true friendHe who would've been a useful companionswift and strong if given timehad no will to work, after abandonmentCould not have been productive to IthacansIn mourning and grief struckWhy could Argos have traveled with his master,faithful to the end?

Man has but a mere half of his manhood the day he obliges to be captiveNo more so can an invested animalbe expected to have hopeTrue love present here alone

The Test Of The Great Bow

Impossible task devisedby the queen forevermore of Ithacapurely by instinct;Whomever dared to send a bow through 12 ax sockets,let alone string said glorious bow,would never again need askfor the rewards everlastingand eternally deserving

Genius it was,of wise Penelope to knowthe suitors' level of justification to wed;none but clear lust in their eyes,but never would they replaceThe star of "The Odyssey"

Penelope called all those whomknew not their worth,to a great corridortasked simply;

to string her former husbands' great bowMany trying, others observingnone were successful,but they tried furthermore

2 wise loyal worthy menswine and cow herd status' keeping humblewalked out, knowing they will never be of odysseus' stature,let alone the hopeful suitorsshowing faith in Odysseus' returnAfter 20 years of solitude and lack of care for peasantsto a beggar, much like themselves,being Odysseus himselfHaving bore far too many adversitieskeeping deferential and meek bearers of great tidings,silent of concerns to othersas to keep all calmin preparation for odysseus' civil returnto society

For only the underestimated knew of their king's return home

The beggar not of his visible former glory,penelope still insists he has his chance to string thegreat stiff solid bowOdysseus of his great caution,that more than any man before himturned and tapped the bow,checking for termites,perhaps just heightening suspensewith great care to the bow he once held in high honor

Suitors jested him for his precision,not successfullyAlas, to their own demise and embarrassment,Odysseus, dressed as a beggar still,effortlessly moved the string betwixtthumb and forefingermoving upwards in a singular motion,

and to add insult to injury,plucked it, now done,with majestic and amazingly musical qualityFar from expected by the ones whom once thoughtthat they were the best in all the land

And with no delay present,yet no time of the essence,merely bewildered suitors,now aware of their own self worth againOdysseus flaunted a single arrow,with the same immense effort given prior,through all axes holes,landing in the center of the ahead target

As he must brag of himself,Odysseus, now appearing as he always was,in his contemptible innardsgave grief of how badly the most worthy suitorshad failed in a simple task,As it appeared to him,now the rightful king

For the first time, father and son,Odysseus and Telemachus,felt not of weeping uncontrollably,but to celebrate in eachothers' gloryin the kings thronefor the worthy suitor:Odysseus

Death at the Palace

Hostile words receivedAgain royal infuriated

Siege of battle now nye

Unfair proportionsQuiver held by true king alone

Once more deserving

Apollo answeredOdysseus made more swift

Encouragement high

Single arrow flewTo the neck of Antinous

Wine and blood mixed old

Astonishment clearTime even more important

Confusion and fear

Comprehension far from evident truthArrows shot ablaze, irreparably smooth to each body

Minimal defense given by suitors

Former hopefuls toThe throne of proud Itaca

Deceased upon the dusty floorDemise to all whom challenge

Worthy king to prevailHowever slow the tortoise returns to great stature

in prosperous lands of Golden RulesAnd to the worthy,

success in their eyes,Nothing more to wish,

but for the bliss of ignoranceto not overcome you.

Resolute and ever faithfulLong-suffering peasantsMay they atone in blood!