Stealing Civilization

Summary

A reflective narrative describes a perilous sea voyage through mythological and natural hazards, symbolizing the struggle and resilience of humanity's journey.

Abstract

The text is a poetic account of a ship's journey through the Straits of Messina, invoking classical mythology to convey the challenges faced at sea. The author evokes the senses with vivid imagery of the ship navigating treacherous waters, personifying the natural elements as mythical beings such as Scylla and Charybdis. The narrative speaks to the enduring human spirit as the vessel confronts the wrath of the elements, symbolizing the struggle between civilization and the untamed forces of nature. Despite the danger and uncertainty, the journey continues under the watch of the celestial bodies, with the sea acting as both an adversary and a phantom guide to the ancient world. The author reflects on the profound impact of this voyage on their psyche, recognizing the delicate balance between life and death, past and present.

Opinions

The author perceives the sea as a living entity, full of resistance and ambient sound, reflecting a deep respect for its power and presence.
There is a sense of foreboding and unease as the ship traverses the straits, with the moon and stars seemingly conspiring against the voyage.
The mythological references serve as metaphors for the unpredictable nature of life's journey, with Scylla symbolizing unchained chaos and Charybdis the allure of destruction.
The text suggests a philosophical contemplation on the frailty of human existence in the face of nature's overwhelming force.
The author seems to find a paradoxical beauty in the struggle, as the sea's wrath is juxtaposed with the redemptive call of the sirens and the ethereal rain of stars.

Stealing Civilization

I can almost smell the arenaceous resistance of the oscillating winds, as our gunmetal fortress plows through the dense fog who like Scylla has crept silently up beside us.

My sea legs assure my footing as the ambient sound of the sea, like that of crackling Kraken rises up from some underwater lake where the ruins of humanity’s indignation lies un-peacefully at rest.

We plow ahead slicing through the last remnants of an overcast day, foreshadowed the night appears, without warning over the star-struck skies between the Straits of Messina — the moon fledging punishes us with the tidal flooding of delirious apparitions.

Scylla — off the chain, howls at the hairs on the back of my neck, wired. She brooks no argument, six headed covenants of imaginary ambitions lay claim to the hydrogen hectares off the coast of my ancient world.

The scythe like waves, arc ceaselessly as they angrily threaten to shame us. They crash with the force of a thousand mowers peening their blades against the steel frame of our hull.

I dare not look back, I dare not harbor my trepidation, for on this night I fear, the gods do not walk besides me, but behind me.

Before me awaits the open sea, a forest of stolen civilizations, between Scylla and Charybdis, the treacherous voyage home — always lies aboard a star.

Beguiled we glide over the shoulders of the restless sea, a phantom that rivals the argent rays of the bathing moon — the sudden rain of stars fall upon the domes of my eyes and the sirens call redeems the night, reducing ones life to a one single iota. To inhabit one more stolen breath, one half of a breath to live again and one half to cease another day.