Janus (Poetry)

The old god has grown powerless, ignored;
his month no longer marked by feast or prayer;
his future face unworshipped, unadored;
no offerings to warm his stony stare.

The gateways that he guards obscured by time,
their users are oblivious of lore,
and symbolism's lost as myths decline
and none believe he's potent any more.

Once called ahead of Jupiter, his name
now echoes from the temples of the past,
his backward glance acknowledging his shame -
the god of new beginnings didn't last.