rolled a boulder up a hill
then watched it roll back down
and did it all again
(and again
and again
and again
and again
and....)
Why not, you might wonder,
simply affix the boulder at the top:
some two-by-fours, concrete,
a hammer and some nails--
it seems so easy,
watching from the side.
And would be, if Sisyphus
were but two, instead of
one.
If he were two, one self might hold
the boulder in its place,
made strong by knowing
that the end is near,
while the other built with speed and care.
If Sisyphus were two,
the task would long be over.
But he is not. So once again
he sets his shoulder to the rock
and wages war on gravity,
inertia,
and himself.
