Max Gutmann

Agamemnon 
    From Seeing Things

King Agamemnon, leader of the troops,
A daily more disgruntled, restive band,
Now found his nerve-ends doing loop-the-loops. 
He spent his days in pacing on the sand
And pampering his ulcer with a bland
Boeotian diet, sushi by the crate.
No doubt about it, he was gaining weight. 

These weeks had been the hardest of his life; 
He'd summoned all these kings and soldiers to 
Avenge the stealing of his brother's wife
And here they sat with nothing more to do 
Than play beach volleyball and barbecue. 
If this went on, his legacy would be 
The biggest luau in Greek history.   

Max Gutmann has contributed to dozens of publications including New Statesman, Able Muse, and Cricket. His plays have appeared throughout the U.S. and have been well-reviewed (see maxgutmann.com). His book There Was a Young Girl from Verona sold several copies. This poem is an excerpt from Seeing Things, a long, comic narrative poem which tells the Troilius and Cressida story, focusing on Cressida’s father, the seer Calchas.