Dean Rader

UNCERTAIN SELF-PORTRAIT

No one knows if the final item at the bottom of Pandora’s box (what the Greeks called elpis), was meant by Zeus to be a gift (sometimes elpis is translated as hope) or just another evil (sometimes elpis is translated as expectation, the most painful of all emotions), either way it waited the way the living and the dead wait for something to start and something to end which is not the same as expecting either, the question though is if hope is the last (the worst) of Zeus’ evils or the one gift able to stand against everything let loose

Write with us. Learn with us. Publish with us.
Join a growing community of poets & readers.
Early access to calls, workshops, and updates.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
No spam. No ads. No data-selling. Unsubscribe anytime.
MEMBERSHIP PORTAL    |    FAQ   |    SUBMIT
2025 ONLY INK, Inc. All rights reserved.
ONLY POEMS®️ and associated marks are trademarks of ONLY INK, Inc. All individual works are copyrighted by their respective authors. All poems, essays, and artworks published on this site remain the intellectual property of their creators and may not be reproduced without explicit permission. The views expressed in published works are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of ONLY INK, Inc., its editors, or affiliated entities. While many works draw on lived experience, they may contain fictionalized elements; no reference to any real person is intended or should be inferred. ONLY POEMS is an ad-free, independent, reader-supported publication.