Atlas knelt, arms rippling, around him,
the blank emptiness of consciousness;
he is not the great thing he wishes or dreams to be.
the globe on his shoulders, a cage containing his Dread;
beautiful birds with venomous beaks, whispering his faults into his ear.
filled with shame and rage, Atlas let the cage fall open.
the released birds tore at his mind and body,
“weak…stupid…useless…”
I almost lost hold of it completely.

Atlas saw a small, white bird

its sparkling hazel eyes smiling down at him.
this was Hope, the last of pandora’s possessions.
seeing her, he knew this pain would not last.
he threw the birds back into his cage,

releasing Hope from its iron grasp
Atlas roared, standing to his apex;
dazzled by his newfound strength.
I was too strong to let my globe fall.
 

Atlas saw Hope shed her disguise
a woman named Beauty, carrying a cage of her own.

Atlas spoke to her, about her burdens, about her birds
I was kind simply to be kind

she was magnificent; she was perfection
Atlas saw the diamond heart around her neck
and knew that they could not be together.
he would grow old without telling her how he cared.

Atlas saw Beauty struggle and offered to hold her cage.
Atlas bore Beauty’s burden, promising to always help her
I never wavered; I held firm
Beauty shed her form once more,
dividing into countless cage-bearers.

Atlas hated them for his lover’s theft.
but soon, he began to see their worth and potential.
he admired their skills and saw Beauty in them.
she had not left him, but had transformed into something more;
something bigger than herself.
she knew I would do anything for her, for he loved her.

Atlas grew wiser
showing other cage-bearers respect and kindness.
he taught them compassion and faith
I kept his promise to Beauty

because a man is only as good as his word.

The globe’s weight began to set back in.
the muted voices of Atlas’ birds rose;
a horrid crescendo echoed in my mind.
shame and anger built up again
Atlas nearly threw the cage to the ground.

but Beauty stopped him; silenced the birds and caressed Atlas’ face.
“you care so much for others,” she said
“but you forget about you.
love others, but love yourself too.”
she morphed into her final form: a phoenix named Love.
she warmly touched my heart and disappeared
“I will always be with you.”

I shrugged off the weight of the globe again.
I breathed; relief. I told myself:
keep going; keep moving forward.
I saw the Paradise around me
and understood that we, the cage bearers, had purpose;
where we are going and why.
I opened my cage, my mind, to Hope and saw
I am part of the Beauty that lives,
along with Love, in our hearts.
I am Atlas,
I am flawless.