
Helmet, Greek (Corinth), ca. 700-650 BCE, 22.2 cm (H) x 17.0 cm (W) x 25.5cm (D), The Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum, Kemper Simpson Collection, Accession Number K59.
Poet’s Statement
The poem I wrote, was about the bronze helmet in the museum. I wrote a narrative in which, I tried to create a back story about where this helmet came from and who wore it. This helmet must have belonged to someone, and it must have a story, I tried to give it one.
Bronze Helmet
The cold
Bronze
Thin
Yet malleable
Offered little
Protection.
The shiny and polished
Bronze piece had not been made
For him.
It was too big
For it was his father’s
And he
was just
A
Boy.
Strings were attached
And pulled
Together
Using the puny dimpled
Holes around
The eye slits
To pull it
Tight.
Pressing snug to
The young soldier’s face,
The round oval slits
Emphasized his lifeless eyes.
Eyes that
Had that seemed ageless.
Eyes that
Witnessed
Horrors.
The helmet now
Covered in mud
Was crudely
squeezed. It
Was
Smashed. The
Helmet of
Tragedy. A fate shared
By both
Father
And
Son.