To primordial Eros, the
First of gods and the fairest, who
With metallic wings outstretched and
Bowstring unloosed, slyly
Trembles mortal and immortal alike
Loose of sense, generating worlds,
Uniting orbs — earth, sun, star and
Moon — and turns the carousel of love,
I raise my cup!

[Michael Routery is a writer and poet living in Northern California. His work can be found in a wide variety of publications, including Beatitude: 50, Datura, and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina devotional anthologies, Written In Wine, Bearing Torches, Unbound, and Out of Arcadia. ]