Sisyphus and His Boulder
In this damnation, nothing wears down.
But I, yes, I have learned my lesson.
My curse’s surface has become familiar:
its grittiness, its protrusions that gall,
the hollows where I must be sure of my hold.
No matter which way the slope tumbles it back,
I know how to catch it, how
to brace my feet, to
ease its downward roll back into
the uphill push so as to lose
the least amount of time, use
the least amount of energy.
I’ve paid my price;
I’m a reformed man;
now I’m the one who’s in control.
Sheryl Slocum
110