Skillful Hephaistos,
nobly born, but cast down and broken,
I salute you.

Oft-forgotten, overlooked,
but I see your reflection all around me:
in orphans, whose dignity goes unseen,
in hard work and craftsmanship,
in orderly, beautiful things,
in the crippled and bent,
in the love-scorned.

Laboring at forge and anvil,
you sweat and create
deep in the fiery mountain,
hard at your handiwork.

You know the meaning of anguish
and yet you tire not.
Brilliantly you create.
In darkness and heat you work wonders.

Master of Industry,
Brilliant Inventor,
Hephaistos of the Burning Fire,
guide my hands,
brighten my mind,
ignite my inspiration,
that I may benefit from your Divine Light,
and lift up your name to the delight of Gods and men!

-Rob Andrews