“This guided Theseus thro’ the Maze;
And sent Him home with Life . . . “
………………… —Matthew Prior
Love is a Cord, a Chord, Accord
a boy at his labyrinth’s door
grasped the end of the string of a spool
proffered in the hands of a woman
who knew that once within, if
without tether, if no more than
a floating mote, if bound to nothing,
disoriented, he would, at each
critical turn, run the risk
of being zero or fool
once you step in, she sang,
— and a chorus swelled behind
— and a drummer struck a chime
— and a cornet blew a mind
— and an artist drew a line
— and a poet spoke divine:
do not release this thread, she sang,
even as you reach the core
it’s the one way true,
your only means to find again
this door
Jim Culleny
6/2/22