Who Is Prometheus?

Who is Prometheus?

And why is he at Rockefeller Center

At the skating pond?

And will the world end

In fire or ice?

Some say in fire:

The knowledge of who we are

What we have undone.

Others say ice:

Inert, alone, and--forgive me--isolated.

Nobody argues that we will end.

(Have you noticed?)

We will end.

Who is Prometheus?

To steal fire

From Zeus and give it

To mortals.

We set ourselves apart

From the animals with fire.

We set ourselves apart

From father and mother.

Some say this inflamed Zeus

With jealousy

But that’s confusing Zeus with Yahweh,

Olympus with Sinai.

From Harney Mountain,

Zeus sees the fire

That will burn life down.

Prometheus, golden boy of the little pond

In a concrete canyon,

Who are you?