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I Sailed Away to Ancient Greece

I sailed away to ancient Greece
In search of Jason’s golden fleece.
I climbed aboard the Argonaut,
But could not find the fleece I sought.

Odysseus was waiting there
And took as pay my drachma fare.
We had adventures on the sea
That soon became a part of me.

I went to watch Arachne weave
The prettiest cloth one could conceive.
Athena cursed the pretty deb
To only weave a spider web.

I hoped to find Prince Sisyphus,
But he was stuck in Tartarus
For Hades twice was fooled, so still
He rolls his boulder up a hill.

One day I found Pandora’s box,
But it was sealed with heavy locks
Since all the sins this world has known
From pert Pandora’s box had flown.

If only I could be so bold
I’d hunt King Midas’s own gold.
I wouldn’t want to take too much,
Or else I’d get his cursèd touch.

The myth of Eros and Psyche
Is dearly loved mythology.
Prometheus had Zeus’s ire
For giving humans godly fire.

Once Hades stole Persephone
To be his queen eternally.
Apollo loved the nymph Daphne,
But she became the laurel tree.

I looked far off for Aphrodite
Dressed in gold and purple nightie.
Somewhere up on Mount Olympus
I saw Zeus’s knowing glimpses.

I sailed away to ancient Greece
Where fascinations never cease
When I was just a little boy
Who took from them oh so much joy!

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A Young Boy’s Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for mom and dad.
Thank you for good times I had.
Thank you for my puppy dog,
For big frogs and pollywogs.

Thank you for my supper meal,
Stories read and love that’s real.
Thank you, Lord, for all you gave,
Help me now that I’ll behave.
Amen!

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LTC Roy E. Peterson, US Army Military Intelligence and Russian Foreign Area Officer (Retired) has published more than 5,000 poems in 78 of his 101 books. He has been an Army Attaché in Moscow, Commander of INF Portal Monitoring in Votkinsk, first US Foreign Commercial Officer in Vladivostok, Russia and Regional Manager in the Russian Far East for IBM. He holds a BA, Hardin-Simmons University (Political Science); MA, University of Arizona (Political Science); MA, University of Southern California (Int. Relations) and MBA University of Phoenix. He taught at the University of Arizona, Western New Mexico University, University of Maryland, Travel University and the University of Phoenix.

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23 Responses

  1. Russel Winick

    Roy:

    I really enjoyed both of these. The first especially brought back early memories. I, too, looked for Aphrodite. Thanks for sharing them with us.

    Reply
    • Roy E. Peterson

      Even as a sixth grader, I was inspired by Aphrodite. Thank you, Russel!

      Reply
  3. Dan Ward

    Congratulations on an excellent poem! I didn’t realize some of these stories are from Greek mythology. Poems like yours are inspiring me to catch up on reading the classics.

    Reply
  4. Sally Cook

    Roy, I wonder if children today ever hear the names from classic myths mentioned, or if it occurs to their teachers ? These stories are wise and agelessk and create strong bonds.
    Thanks for suggesting this with your graceful poem. I’m for classical education, in case you haven’t guessed.

    Reply
    • Roy E. Peterson

      Sally, I wonder the same thing about learning classics. My sixth-grade teacher had a classic Greek mythology text for juveniles that brought the magic and wonder to us. We were only a small school with two classes (fifth and sixth) in one room, but we had a wonderful teacher who also had us memorize poetry and recite it.

      Reply
  5. Cheryl Corey

    Wonderful, Roy. “I Sailed …” offers the reader a sampling of many myths. I can envision a book for children based on the concept of sailing away to other faraway lands and ancient cultures.

    Reply
    • Roy E. Peterson

      Cheryl, I came by this honestly in sixth grade English class. We did have a book for that age level on Greek mythology which I still remember and thoroughly enjoyed. Believe it or not, the school was small with our class being only 10 pupils in Bonesteel, South Dakota. My mother was an English and Latin major/teacher and added her thoughts to my lessons. We also had to memorize a poem. Mine was the “Village Smithy,” which I had to recite before the class. By the way, the fifth-grade class was in the same classroom. I had to study by kerosene lamp on the farm. We also had to read the poetry of Badger Clark, the longtime poet laureate of South Dakota.

      Reply
    • Roy E. Peterson

      Thank you, Brian. I enjoyed reliving the Greek mythology while writing this one.

      Reply
  8. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    Huge fun! ‘I Sailed Away to Ancient Greece’ is a joyful and beautiful introduction to Greek Mythology, and I love ‘A Young Boy’s Prayer’. I can see him kneeling down in earnest… puppy dog nuzzling as he prays. Great poems for children and adults alike. Thank you, Roy.

    Reply
    • Roy E. Peterson

      If you note my comment under Cheryl’s, we actually studied Greek mythology in the sixth grade in my small school in South Dakota. Bless you for your comment on the prayer. I have a lot of poems I wrote for kids in some of my books of poetry.

      Reply
  9. Norma Pain

    Thank you for these two enjoyable poems Roy. The little boy’s Thanksgiving prayer is indeed delightful, especially the line, ‘stories read and love that’s real’.

    Reply
  10. Geoffrey Smagacz

    A fun rendering of well-known myths.

    This stanza made me blush:

    I looked far off for Aphrodite
    Dressed in gold and purple nightie.
    Somewhere up on Mount Olympus
    I saw Zeus’s knowing glimpses.

    Reply
  11. Theresa Dould Cummings

    Can you just imagine that if it was not for Schliemann
    would we still consider Ulysses, Helen and Troy only a dream?

    Reply

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