Poem In Your Post: Siren Song

This is the one song everyone 
would like to learn: the song
that is irresistible:

the song that forces men
to leap overboard in squadrons
even though they see the beached skulls

the song nobody knows
because anyone who has heard it
is dead, and the others can't remember.

Shall I tell you the secret?

And if I do, will you get me
out of this bird suit?

I don't enjoy it here
squatting on this island
looking picturesque and mythical

with these two feathery maniacs.
I don't enjoy singing
this trio, fatal and valuable.

I will tell the secret to you,
to you, only to you.
Come closer. This song

is a cry for help: Help me!
Only you, only you can,
you are unique

At last.  Alas
it is a boring song
but it works every time.

                           - Margaret Atwood

Ms. Atwood, looking very much the siren
herself.

We're all about the monomyth this month, and this poem just drips with witty irony yet packs a wallop of truth in the end.  And who doesn't admire Margaret Atwood, still fighting the good fight for equality, the environment, and freedom of speech all over the interwebs and in her current works.

Which poems offer you a fresh (and perhaps even funny) glimpse of an ancient subject?  What poem's caught your fancy today?  Share it with us in the comments or link to it on your blog/website.

MFB,
L