They held me fast and tied me down,
An eagle ate my liver;
The sea rushed in – I did not drown,
Bound to this rocky pillar.
They punished me for gifting fire,
The Gods punished a Titan;
Did I know then fire would inspire,
That fire could enlighten?
From gifted fire – my act of treason,
They wrought and learnt anew;
They called for beauty, truth & reason,
For the many, not the few.
Their thirst for power grew year on year:
Gods, Titans, Kings – forsaken.
Eternity makes all things clear,
Too many were mistaken.
The fire I gave them long ago
Has brought us all to ruin;
The world it screams in hate and woe –
Fire will be our undoing.
Image: Prometheus and Atlas Amphoriskos Laconian Black Figure attribution unknown, c.530 BCE / Vatican Museums, Vatican City
Barefoot Sociologist 