Tuesday Poem: Ithaca Conversations—Argos
Argos
Lying nose to paws in the shadow of the arched gate,
eyes fixed on the white, twisting road to the sea,
listening for the familiar footstep, the beloved voice
that urged me on as we raced together, over
the rocky mountainside, both young, both strong
of heart – how my voice echoed in the craggy
heights, belling out for stag, or wild boar: all done,
all done with now as I twitch in half-dreams,
remembering, feeling that intoxicating rush again,
while the young men shout their curses – mangy cur,
flea-ridden beast, kicking me from the sunlit door,
throwing bones or stones when they see me lying,
patient in a patch of shade. Age has crept up on me,
dimming my eyes but never the hope that draws
me to the open gate, watching, always waiting –
but I do not know now, how much longer I can wait;
I fear that soon, for me, there will be no more time.
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(c) Helen Lowe 2007
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Argos forms part of my Ithaca Conversations sequence, which I discussed in more detail when I posted another poem from the sequence, The Wayfarer on June 15.
Argos was the favourite hound of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, who was absent from home for twenty years because of the Trojan war. When Odysseus finally returned home, disguised as a beggar, the old hound still knew him, even after so long – but died on the night of his return. As a child I always found the story particularlyy moving, so was not surprised when the voice of Argos emerged through the Ithaca Conversations sequence.
Although one fellow poet locally opined that "it seemed an odd subject to write a poem about", Argos subsequently won Australia's A2O poetry competition in 2007 and was published in the Writerlynks anthology Grow, which showcased poetry and fiction for young Australian readers—with the most wonderful accompanying illustration by Rowena Evans.
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