no one who has ever read the Iliad
has remembered you
until me
raised by a loving family
your father a king
you married
but left for the glorious war
before you had lain with your bride
and in your first combat
Agamemnon killed you
that is all
Homer gave you perhaps twenty lines
blew life into you
marched you into battle
had you slain
meat butchered by heros
even I did not notice you
but the second
during my “honeymoon”
absurd word
in Chicago in 1962
with a woman from whom I am long divorced
your brief life made me wonder
what happened to your virgin bride
how soon did she forget
and you
did you have time for regret before you died
or was the thrusting sword too quick
you could not know
that Homer would sing of you
however briefly
and that in 3000 years
I at last would be touched by your death
but if you had known
I wonder
if that would have been enough
Webb Chiles - 1975
Read more of Webb Chiles' poetry here
