Don’t Fall in Love with Sisyphus, by Lisa Molina

Sisyphus, by Titian (Italy) 1549

Don’t Fall in Love with Sisyphus 

He sweats. Muscles taut.

Pushing/worrying/heaving/grunting
/yearning/suffering/crying out for
 “Mercy!”

The heavy hard imperfect rough rock
Up Up Up Up

Finally Agonizingly Triumphantly
Reaching the scorching summit;

Only to witness it rolling down rolling down
Down the hill of life laughing at him,
knowing it is a relentless meaningless
struggle.

But if you do fall in love with Sisyphus,
There exist momentary flashes of insight;

That your mere existence has 
changed others’ lives for the better.

Smiles/connections/intimacies/mending/melding of souls.
Crying out, “My Love!”

There is no meaning in life. 
Only the experience of living.

Pushing/worrying/heaving/grunting
/yearning/suffering/crying out for 
“Mercy!”

Incessantly struggling to reach the heights
only to begin again and again and again...

And when that overthinking brain-boulder
of yours reaches the summit of your suffering,

You’ll throw back your head laughing loudly in
joyful reverence and awe,
As it 
rolls 
down 
the
mountain
to
the
depths
always.

Waiting.
For you.

As only 
a lover can.

And will.

Sisyphus demands a larger rock.

Maybe you should fall in love with Sisyphus.

Lisa Molina

This poem first appeared in Overthink Zine.
​
While not bingeing on her new favourite writer’s works, Lisa Molina can be found writing, educating students with special needs, singing, playing the piano, petting her cat, or marvelling at nature with her family. Formerly a high school English/theatre teacher, and Associate Publisher of Austin Family Magazine, she now lives in Austin, Texas, where earned a BFA at the University of Texas. Her poetry can be seen in The Ekphrastic Review, Beyond Words Magazine, Ancient Paths Literary Magazine, Trouvaille Review, The Tiny Seed, and The Poet Magazine Christmas Anthology, 2020, with new poems soon to be published in Peeking Cat, Silver Birch Literary Bog, and Amethyst Review.