Pandora's Box
When Pandora had opened the box, had she had a choice?
Fooled and tricked, guided by her inner voice.
The gods warned her to never open its lid,
But all along, their real motives for humankind hid.
They wanted man to be punished, and to be rebuked,
And Pandora opened the box, lifting the lid and looked.
Horrors and trials of mankind swarmed out, much to the gods delight;
They had planned to discipline the mortals, to make them suffer under strife.
It was the first woman, who brought the fall of all mankind.
But, when all seemed lost, Pandora shut the lid, keeping Hope inside.
Death and lies, deceit and terror, murder and horror,
These were but a few of the strife's that flew forward.
They waged war on man, stinging and biting, polluting their souls,
Making their hearts as dark as the charcoal sable of the crows.
The sins within the box lived for torment and chaos, contempt and discord,
Yet they were untouched by the iron arrows or the swing of the sword.
They fly on dark wings, still searching for their prey,
They soar and pillage the world of man even to this very day.
What if Hope had flown out?
What if we had no more happiness? No more joy to bring us light?
Would we become numb within, shells afflicted by an unending blight?
But Hope stayed in, afraid of the outside world,
Scared of the horrors that now flew freely, unleashed and unfurled.
But Hope lives on in all of us, in all of humankind.
It lives and thrives in out spirits, our souls, and our minds.
Hope is all we have left.
Author's Note
The epic tale of Pandora, the first woman according to Greek myth, has – and always will – captivate me. But when she had opened the box, she had shut the lid just soon enough to keep glistening Hope, which Zeus had put at the bottom, from flying out. Hope would've been quickly consumed and destroyed by the trials of man that now flew freely through the sky.
The original poem was going to be longer, but I figured the message of it would be better delivered in a shorter manner. Hope kept us alive for so long, it is everything to us. It is our last chance. Hope is all we have left.
Shaneltz