Oedipus Wrecks: Genesis

Each portal to that grief-wracked, hellish place
Inscribed foreboding warning for the wand-
'ring, weary, woeful souls be-damned I AM
to stand before those awful, vacant gates.

"Through me you enter woeful city fine.
Through me you stray yet further from sublime.
Through me you plummet depths you'll never climb.
Through me you enter woeful city prime."

To heave such heavy sigh when learning our
misfortune hour to stand bereft of deft reflex
collision course impending wreck with dest-
ination none elect and yet arrived.

From other side such shrieking cries.  A tick,
a tock, began the clock of moth and rust.
With tantrum screams, yet dragged I AM toward wick-
ed gate, all begging coming much too late.

To hazard open up the eyes, upon
the portal thus inscribed a final warn-
ing, lifetime mourning for wand'ring souls
about to call abode the realm of woe:

"Through me you enter woeful city dear.
You'll flee from pain yet always find it near.
Through me you enter woeful city tier.
Abandon hope all ye who enter here."

In pain in screams in mother's cries tak-
ing birth between her thighs, she slumps relieved
on seeing babe and drawing first of ma-
ny breaths, now little one confess such woe.

The other side of wicked gate cries once
resounded turn to cheer, and only babe
continues woeful chorus, fresh the warn-
ing 'scribed on portal door that opened here.

They're instituted far too long perhaps
to grin and welcome into swaddling wrap.
The baleful words fresh from th'gate bid wel-
come grievous welcome mournful tenant, come.

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Okay, this is my first attempt at iambic pentameter, and I admit this one is pretty poor.  I usually write poetry almost exclusively with end rhyme, and though this has some, it's not the exclusive pattern.  I wanted to challenge myself and write in iambic pentameter (just to see if I could do it) with no end rhyme, but as you can see, that didn't end up happening.  The tone of iambic pentameter is different from my normal writing which is more song-like, this is more like a monologue in a play (I guess that's why Shakespeare used it).

I'll try again, but I have a feeling iambic pentameter is going to be my white whale