The Labyrinth

Dark is this maze wherein I err. No Theseus I; no comforter, No Ariadne at my side, to hold Her golden skein as guide.

Dark is this maze; I cannot see The sword held out in front of me. I have no shield; my other arm must find The blind way through this harm.

Dark is this maze, roofed in, with vault and stair Where I must often halt, Descend or climb, wait, listen, hear The skipping heartbeat of my fear.

Dark is this maze, but I must know it more, Explore, before I go Free to the light, the pit, the den, Whose two-formed monster feeds on men.

I hear him bellow, far from here. I feel, I smell him, very near. I spin, I strike a blow that finds no mark. Dark is this maze. I know.