Paris pilfered his pledged Helen
after awarding Aphrodite an apple —
thus was civilization turned to cinders.
10 years, 1,000 ships, countless men and boys:
passed, sailed, speared
during epic tales of strife
as Olympus looked on, manipulating
their mortal, fragile, replaceable playthings.
Ramblings of a Drabbling Mind 
Civilisation turned to cinders; Powerful
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Really fabulous imagery! You pretty much compressed the entire battle of Troy into 42 words. Wow!
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Thank you! I couldn’t quite work in all of the vivid gore, but I think the original works (at least Homer’s) covered that well enough.
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Great imagery. Loved how you brought ancient mythology to life.
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That’s amazing! An epic in 42 words.
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Excellent. Bravo!
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I blame Zeus for passing the buck.
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Fair enough, but can he be faulted for not wanting to judge a beauty contest between his wife and daughters?
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He’s a god. He could have zapped up a better solution.
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Definitely some Peter Piper in the way you re-wrote this classic story!
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There was absolutely no chance I’d appropriately format all the standard dactyls and spondees while trying to make any sense; figured it was best to stick with what I can manage.
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Ah, the alliteration! Great sounds in this.
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Helen of Troy, her beauty became history. Neatly compressed into 42 words. Great read.
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Way to go, Paris.
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’10 years, 1,000 ships, countless men and boys:
passed, sailed, speared” …. Like your style!
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Thank you! That’s quite pleasant to hear.
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