Kevin Michael Bloor

Aphrodite\'s Grief

The soldiers grieved for Adonais, dead,
bewailed his beauty, from his body bled.
Then all those savage sons stowed swords and shields
and swore they’d no more fight on foreign fields.
Their hearts were moved, but did not break or quake;
They stared at him, as if he was awake,
like Hector or Achilles, bold and brave
or Christ, the king of love, who all men crave.
They parted though, like sea, when goddess came.
For one true love, she shared with them the same
heart-wrenching, but as she passed by them slow,
towards her Adonais with her woe;
they wept and tore their chain-mail: all the host!
For Aphrodite’s grief hurt them the most.