Poem of the Day: “Altar to the Forgotten Poem” by James Frederick William Rowe

Songs of Eretz Poetry Review is pleased to present “Altar to the Forgotten Poem” by James Frederick William Rowe, Poet of the Week.  A biography of Mr. Rowe may be found here:  http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/2015/02/poet-of-week-james-frederick-william.html.

Altar to the Forgotten Poem

On the way to the Athens of my Inspiration

I espied an altar along the road

Upon which had been inscribed

On the marble of the mind:

A whisper of the Muses has been lost to Lethe

How easily Memory lost her hold

     How impotent Mnemosyne

This song shall never be sung

In this world

     Or the next

James Frederick William Rowe

Poet’s Notes:  I had an entire poem created in my mind before going to bed. Stupidly, I didn't write it down, thinking I'd remember it. I did not, but I remembered the rhythm, which this poem employs. In a sense, this poem is the echo of the forgotten one.

The "Athens of my mind" is a reference to St. Paul, in the 17^th chapter of Acts, having passed by an altar to the unknown God in Athens. Befitting the reference to Athens, I wed this Biblical allusion to figures of classical mythology.

The original poem is lost to me forever. "This song shall never be sung / in this world / or the next."

Editor’s Note:  Mr. Rowe beautifully captures the unsung songs, those will-o'-the-wisps of inspiration that never make it to the page.