envision the titan in his lost glory,
muscled arms and granite thighs,
kin to the one who
holds the sky on his massive shoulders

see him bound, chains wrapped
around his wrists and ankles,
mouth open in a rictus
of anticipated pain

waiting for the daily strike
of the eagle
(ravenous, god-sent
bird-of-punishment)

picture him unbound,
his chains around his fingertips
a-whirl in the air to ward off
the eagle and any other enemies
sent by the gods,
leather belts
encasing his waist
to deter the shrike-like cruelty
to which he’s long been accustomed

imagine
what it would be like
for one punished by the gods
to walk free again
under the darkening sky
only to find that the gods themselves
have long since died
leaving only him
and humanity

wonder
at his tears
relief
bitterness
guilt
all combined

then let him pass
as ravens skirl in his wake