ODE Poem: Ode to Hephaestus, God of Fire, by Tracy Davidson

Stripped to the waist
you wield your mighty hammer,
turning molten metal
into works of art.

How sad it is
others could not see beyond
your unsightly visage,
your poor crippled legs.

Even your wife,
bound to you against her will,
despised you, betrayed you,
plotted against you.

Yet Gods used you –
to make their thrones, their armour,
their crowns and thunderbolts,
your skills knew no bounds.

I would have liked
to have met you, Hephaestus,
watch you wield that hammer,
thrust those tongs in fire.

God of the Forge,
gone but never forgotten,
I hope it helps to know
your legend lives on.