Friday's Whims of the Time Traveler 68.0: August 29th, 2007

Riddle of the Sphinx
by Belinda Roddie

I know the riddlers of the world who claim themselves the kings

Of answers from the comprehensive to the petty things

A fool’s demise, the lions’ pride, and all things in between

But I can say not one can solve the riddle of the sphinx

The lady who looks ravishing yet hidden in her minx

Her wealth will melt, for she can’t solve the riddle of the sphinx

I know two boys named John and Joe, both cunning as the lynx

But swift device will not suffice the riddle of the sphinx

The wanderer with treasure borne from relics of the weak

His jewels to gruel, his stories lost, sans answer to the beast

His travels will mean nothing with no answer to the sphinx

And Oedipus, contraire to tale, did cower on his knees

Incestuous throne was overthrown by dodging prophecies

Yet it was failure to reveal the riddle of the sphinx

I know the riddlers of the world who fall among the rest

When their old tricks irrelevant are thus put to the test

And in the sun, the beast, it basks, awaiting in the East

For me to be unwise enough to bow before the beast

But I shall never tell the world the riddle to the sphinx

The work you see here has not been edited nor altered since August 29th, 2007.