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January 15th, 2026
by Susan Howard
I'm reading a book about Homer at the moment. To prepare, I borrowed The Iliad and The
Odyssey from the library. I was going to read them first before I tackled the book, but the
sheer size and language! Have you actually read them? Well, apparently a lot
of people have. But I put them aside as excellent reference material, and I dived into the book about Homer.
Do you know how many translations there are? For one, Alexander
Pope, of all people! It seems using pretty, flowery language is not recommended. So
the essential point of the book is that we all need Homer because he is the light shining
in the world, and what he is really talking about is not some possible true, possible fable
back in 8000 BC – or thereabouts. Historians can't agree. They're similar to economists
in this regard, who are renown for forecasting economic outlooks that differ from others,
and when they get it wrong, they all have their reasons. Anyway, this author introduces
us to the idea that Homer is really talking about our struggles with life, generally. So as we
all grapple with our own gnarly decisions, his words are pertinent to us, like when I can't
decide if I'll buy popcorn and a drink at the movies or wait until after and get takeaways.
About the Poet
Susan Howard resides in Warkworth, Aukland, New Zealand.
Read the poet's biography and Wax Poetry and Art Publications
on Susan Howard's Artist Page.
This poem is collected in Poetry World #14, published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
Keywords: Homer, Greek myths, life's problems
Previously published in New Zealand Poetry Magazine:
The Claw Machine
by Sarah Kessell
New Zealand Poetry Magazine is part of the Wax Poetry and Art Network.
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