Reluctant warrior, though

            Ruthless once enlisted in the fray,

            Master of stratagems,

            Sole survivor of the Sirens’ lure –

            I thought the reason I admired you

            So much was for your wiles and charm,

            Your bravery in battle, 

            The sweetness of your lies

            Until the seas came close to breaking me 

            One night I sang to her of my imaginings,

            And every sinew strained beyond its strength 

            As I explained that faithlessness 

            Led to fidelity and wandering 

            To a place of rest

            The others gathered too to hear,

            Once sated with their meats and wine,

            To taste of salt and face their 

            Underworld and know an Ithaka

            Far richer for my absence and return

            And I would have, like you,

            A peaceful ebb upon the waters of my birth

            For having yearned