God of men who’s dressed in white,
Beard on face of long brown hair,
Halo pattern traced in light,
Nimbus flowing through the air.
Glowing skin with mercy shines,
Ancient toga wraps His frame,
Fabric rich and much more fine,
Than what mortals give a name.
Eyes of keenest vision sit;
Each a crystal ball that holds
Any deed that we commit,
Whether it be base or bold.
Hands and arms that move in sync,
Like the Milky Way they flow,
Steering hidden wheels that link
Weather, wellness, wars, and woe.
Giant scroll in hand, He swoops,
Down to where His people are,
Like a king to battling troops
Speaking hope in lands afar.
Words on whispers wafting through
Some can hear but others can’t
“Just the wind, it’s nothing new.”
(Blindly grope an elephant.)
Others hear the words resound
Holy message from the past
Shaping future, they confound:
“Virtue, virtue, to the last!”
Evan Mantyk is a poet and English teacher living in New York.
Featured Image: The Statue of Socrates at the Academy of Athens. Work of Leonidas Drosis (d. 1880)
The Dresden Zeus
The Dresden Zeus is a free-standing statue that
has been restored from copies. Over life-size height,
draped in himation; the stance is clean and pat—
no fat.It shows his awesome presence and his might.
He leans upon his left leg’s strength; his left arm’s bent;
his left fist rests upon left thigh, herm shaft in right.
The style is high classical, attributed
to the workshop of Pheidias. Th’ original’s
been lost. Depicted is a bearded, heaven-sent,
composed man-god of th’ Ancient World—not digital
or analog—who seems to know where he is at.
His hair is parted and his face is vigilant.