A Piece of Glass

[oats]

it all begins in the sun, the musical movement
of helium and hydrogen bonding in nuclear fusion
a truthful illusion, heat released to coast Earth
oh such beautiful hubris, look how Helios smirks...

rays of light sparkle and glimmer, each telling him to rise
shades of night partially linger 'neath the bellies of his eyes
sleep whispers sentimental lies, a con artist in disguise
so waking REM deprived for him is hardly a surprise
Dream's a martyr he despised, a sniveling pander
the most malignant of cancers selling visions of grandeur
but Dream has a foil steeped in innocent candor
a native of the day - his name? Ambition the Answer
(let that picture meander through your brain for a minute
cuz sometimes things can be so much the same that they're different)

...all molecules seem to come alive when heated
so when the sea meets the sun, it will rise to greet it
evaporated particles in righteous asylum
finally! Aeolus reunites with Poseidon...

water splashes his face, the warm air is malevolent
his identity pleasantly draped in arrogant elegance
his name's irrelevant - call him whatever you like
he's every faceless stranger never met in your life
with one exception, he was blessed with an exceptional sight
so he could see the messages that Destiny writes
but that perception is blight, a horrid taste of death
to see the outline of your footprints, before you take a step
no reward from Fate could help him clean the stain of his vision
till one day Destiny presented him a painful decision

...the saturated winds begin their rapid ascension
water droplets cool to match the clouds they condensed in
cumulonimbus shrouds billow as they stack to the heavens
armored in the storm, mighty Zeus steps down with a vengeance...

the sky darkened his apartment as Destiny confronted him
from her spindle she removes a single thread to weave his punishment
her energy is thunderous, cloaked in a cloud
silence crescendos to an echo when she opens her mouth:

"Though you won't be allowed to use the eyes of the gods,
before you're blind you must decide upon a prize for your loss.
For undermining our laws, you owe a debt to our pride,
so we must change your fate, but I will let you decide.
If you want a long normal life, where happiness is yours,
then the tapestry I weave for you will have to be a stork.
Or you can die young, in the honor of fame,
and forever men will sing along with songs of your name.
If then, I'll weave a bull upon the fabric of Truths,
and the animals will take you on the path that you choose."

what a masterful ruse! a riddle free of rational proofs
so he looked within to see which one his passion approves
Ambition points to the bull - he's invested in the lie
but Dream the Question arrives and beckons him to fly
a respectable try, but greed is etched into his eyes
Destiny sighs, and weaves his lesson in the skies
lightning strikes, the bull is unrestrained and loose
no place to move, he's taken in the chains of Zeus

...the storm dissolves, the sky regains its bluest mask
a dark tune is no way to serenade a lucid past
if you can't see the difference, beware of foolish acts -
myth and science are the same, depending who you ask
Destiny's blessings always come with secret traps
and it takes a lightning bolt to mold a piece of glass
when your flaws are transparent, it's not wise to be great
now everyone sing the song of he who tried to cheat fate