​View of Delphi with a Procession, by James Lilliefors

View of Delphi with a Procession, by Claude Lorrain (French) 1673

​View of Delphi with a Procession
​
The stars are lanterns this evening, excess 
is everywhere. It is the nature of the universe 
to expand, olam, world without end, forever 
and ever. Millions of choices; how many 
will ever lead to greatness? We walked the Sacred Way 
to Delphi this morning, the road steep and ill-defined, 
the views stunning. A civilization was found there, 
buried under centuries of landslides, a mountain temple 
where kings, philosophers and families once trekked, 
carrying questions for the oracle. We carried excess light 
to the temple, fearful of coming darkness, and the oracle 
told us to leave it, showing us our true size. 
In this evening’s excess of silence, the oracle’s directives 
hang in the still-darkening sky, difficult to ignore: 
The art of living is knowing what to leave. 
The only way to greatness is to become smaller.

James Lilliefors

James Lilliefors is a poet, journalist, and novelist, whose writing has appeared in various publications ranging from Ploughshares to the Washington Post to Runner's World. His first collection of poetry,  Sudden Shadows, will be published in 2025 by Finishing Line Press.