Eurydice

Orpheus fails to rescue Eurydice from death.

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Eurydice

She follows behind, silent,
blind until the light of day
strikes her bleeding eyes.
She senses Orpheus ahead,
sound her guide to freedom

From the Underworld she rises,
freed by Hades’ decree,
his gift in recognition of
the music of her lover,
while she is bound in silence,
voiceless until the surface.

And Orpheus, sworn
to lead the way to life,
not to turn to see his prize
before they reach rebirth,
hesitates as light grows strong.

Is she really there behind him?
Or has Hades played the cruellest trick
and kept her still in chains?
He wavers, has to know,
and turns. She cannot speak.

The vision fades before his eyes,
his promise broken, all is lost,
death drags her back into the depths,
and Orpheus condemned
to wander forever lost


Line count: 26
Free verse
For Dark Dreamscapes Poetry Contest, Week 2 October 2021
Prompt: #2.