The Death Of Destiny Poem by David Welch

Enktantas sat bolt upright,
in his hut near the temple walls,
he lived just below Olympus,
worked there beneath the mountain tall.

He worked to serve the oracles
who would augur the will of gods,
Enktantas was no holy man,
but paid decently for his job.

Yet now he shivered in the night,
stunned by the bizarre words he heard,
while sleeping there had come a voice,
"You must find Destiny, "it whispered.

"You must go and find Destiny,
And when you go do bring a sword."
Were the gods now speaking to him?
He could not understand the words…

He tried to put it from his mind,
but night after night it returned,
every night came slightly louder
until his very soul did burn.

When he asked the priests he worked for
they proclaimed that he must be mad,
gods only spoke through oracles,
something in his mind must be bad.

But still the voice kept speaking up,
Enktantas could no longer sleep,
he had to seek out Ananke,
the goddess of all destiny.

And so Enktantas set out on
a journey to find gods themselves,
an epic tale in Greek fashion,
pour Enktantas went through sheer hell.

He had to fight a great cyclops,
seduce and bed a siren strong,
join centaurs in a war on harpies,
ride the kraken through evil throngs.

He even went down to Hades,
seen things mortals should never know,
and were this author better skilled
this all would be part of this poem.

But instead we'll skip on two years,
to the end of this poor man's quest,
when in the depths of Macedon,
with deep scars carved into his breast

He came upon a simple home,
built of stone back in ancient days,
a brilliant light came from inside,
and limping, the man made his way.

He passed countess lesser morai,
the Fates of legend and lore,
but he was looking for their mom,
to Ananke, to finish his chore.

None stopped him as he reached the front,
bathed in an ethereal light,
Enktantas stopped in the doorway,
his mind taken by just the sight.

A woman bare but for light robes,
who looked no more than twenty years,
pale eyes and an unmatched beauty,
marred only by slow-moving tears.

He'd never seen such a woman,
no mortal could match this goddess,
how long he spent there, he knew not,
what ever could compare to this?

In one had she held a great scroll,
never-ending it passed her eyes,
she'd look deeply upon the words,
then would project her voice outside,

calling to her daughters, the Fates,
usually giving them a name,
Enktantas knew this meant the death
of men and women far away.

It was just after such a cry
that she turned her sad face to him,
said, "It's not written that you'd come…
What power lets you come within? "

Enktantas just advanced slowly,
a battered sword high on his belt,
"A voice told me to come find you,
where it came from, I cannot tell.

"I don't even know why I come here,
no silence could I ever find,
I hoped if I could track you down
the madness would drain from my mind.

"But tell me, goddess, why you cry?
Why would a goddess feel so sad?
I thought tears were for us mortals,
whatever could make you feel bad? "

The goddess blinked away her tears,
and looked down on the mortal man,
said, "I have cried since I was made,
I'm Destiny, and by it damned.

"You mortals were blessed with some choice,
if just the illusion of it,
but I am bound by this great scroll,
and my feelings can't defeat this.

"What I read here is what must be,
I say names and men go to death,
even if I feel it is wrong
the words still leap out with each breath.

"So many babies innocent,
beloved folks who deserved more,
even fellow gods fated to die,
while sparing those rightly deplored.

"For all of time I've done this task,
so have my daughters by my side, "
she said, "But you were not written…
it is you who must make me die! "

Enktantas jolted in real shock,
and stumbled about for his words,
"I-I do not mean to hurt you,
To kill a goddess? That's just absurd! "

But Ananke just shook her head,
said, "I don't think that is the case.
To be here without it being told…
To be excused by the strands of fate?

"This has never happened before,
maybe this is the first real choice,
sent by a power beyond fate…
I think that's the goal of this ‘voice.'

"And even if it's something else,
at this point I no longer care,
deaths of millions are on my soul,
I'm in pain from that much despair.

"So take that sword stained red with blood,
and please strike me square on my breast,
if I am wrong nothing changes,
if right then I'll finally have death."

Enktantas frowned and bit his lip,
the mere thought to him seemed insane,
But a goddess had commanded him,
and so evident was her pain...

He pulled the sword out from his belt,
put the tip right over her heart,
"Forgive me, "he said in advanced,
then plunged forward with the sword, hard.

The blade sunk deep and blood did spurt,
flesh of a goddess defiled,
Enktantas shrieked, fell to his knees,
but Ananke only smiled.

"I feel it draining out of me,
the force of life slipping away…
Oh, thank you for releasing me…"
those were the last words she did say.

She collapsed there, down to the ground,
the great scroll just fell to the dirt,
and seemed to rot before his eyes,
until naught but ash were its words.

And from outside the Fates came in,
looking lost, and unsure of things,
they just started with quite confused eyes
where their mother lay smiling.

Enktantas beat a quick retreat,
not knowing what they might do next,
until the voice came loud again,
"Now by your own choice you'll attest.

"It's meant that you should all know Choice,
though you weren't ready until now.
Your destinies will be your own,
and now constrained again, I vow."

Then finally the voice was gone,
the young man no longer insane,
there was power beyond the gods,
and Free Will was part of His game.