Her ribcage lowly lit by candelabras
speaks of desires and growing impulses;
with slightly paler skin than usual,
long black hair
and a cloak billowing over her head,
she has the power to give mortals sleep,
light up the night and control time.
I set lofty intentions and lie under the
sky, for there is drowning in my soul
which only Selene can define.
‘There is beauty you die for, and then
there is beauty
that annihilates to the very core,’
she picks up a grapefruit and takes a bite
seeming nonchalant,
her oval face emboldened by long eyelashes.
It takes everything not to stare.
‘I don’t understand…’ is all that comes out
in reply, the lunar goddess laughs,
almost knowingly and allows time for respite.
‘You have come a long way Poetess.’
And just like that a plethora of burning questions
emerge as orchids growing in the wild.
‘Have you always been this pale?’ I inquire
half amused and half frightened.
‘Hot pink fascination with art, culture, and
poetry, if you were to ask me about origin,
you’ll be fleeing empty-handed.’
The goddess, seeing the confusion behind
hazel brown eyes
shifts her tone and continues–
‘no, I wasn’t. I am the youngest of the three siblings.
But perhaps I was meant to be,
you see, when I was born
on the banks of the river, I was as dark as night,
one would feel
that Titans had been cheated
and so, my mother bathed me in milk,
held several processions
and hid me away until the fifteenth year of my birth–
that was when I blossomed.’
‘I appeared each night over the water,
shimmering, all the more,
because my skin shined with its own inner light.
But on nights
when the moon could not be seen,
there were reasons enough for my absence.
But I feel there is something
that’s bothering you, isn’t there, Poetess?’
I glance up and find her face illuminated by
a smile,
one thing was certain, the goddess
couldn’t be fooled,
‘Ah, it’s nothing, but I am beginning to comprehend
what you meant by your earlier statement.
And just like that she fades into the night.
Photo credits: Pinterest
Lillian is our lovely hostess at dVerse where she invites us to write a prequel
about a famous character or perhaps mythology. Come join us! 🩷
Posted for Poetics: And what were you like before @dVerse Pub
32 Responses
Such beautiful details here, Sanaa. “she picks up a grapefruit and takes a bite
seeming nonchalant”. And these,
“my mother bathed me in milk,
held several processions
and hid me away until the fifteenth year of my birth–
that was when I blossomed.’ ”
A beautiful prequel.
Thank you so much, dear Lillian 😍 so glad you enjoyed it! 💄❤️
(and thank you for the glorious prompt) 🥂
Wonderfully crafted dialogue poem, puts us right in the scene, and I love your choice of Goddess.
Thank you so much, Oloriel 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
A beautifully written poem story, Sanaa.
Thank you so much, Dwight 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
This just flows from image to image.
Awww gosh! Thank you so much, Alexandra 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
A beautiful lunar poem. I am learning a lot about goddesses today.
Thank you so much, Cary 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Fantastic!!!
Much♡love
❤️❤️❤️
The imagery in this poem is so vivid, Sanaa ❤️ The conversation between Selene and the poetess flows like water
Thank you so much, Aboli 😀 so glad the poem and its imagery appealed to you 💄❤️
I love how you describe a Goddess gets her allure from growing up and formed… truly she would be the destiny of us all (maybe mostly men)
Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you! It was a fun prompt 💄❤️
I love how you start with a description of Selene, Sanaa, and that she ‘has the power to give mortals sleep, / light up the night and control time’ and then continue with dialogue between poet and goddess in your moonlit poem, revealing more about her. I also love the phrase ‘there is drowning in my soul’ and the nonchalance of picking up a grapefruit and taking a bite – too sour but she remains untouched by it. The ending is perfect.
Aww gosh! Thank you so much, Kim 😍 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Oh my, what a gorgeous story/poem .. ‘as only Selene can define .. there is beauty you die for, and then there is beauty that annihilates to the very core’ ~ to have known that even once would suffice.
That is such high praise! Thank you so much, dear Helen 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
This is just stunning, Sanaa. I love the story you weave about Selene.
Thank you so much, Colleen 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Sanaa, I simply love how you skillfully weave vivid imagery and mythological depth together!
~David
Thank you so much, David 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
You’ve made the Poetess a wonderful persona in her own right, and just as enigmatic as the goddess. Sublime poetry, Sanaa.
Awww gosh! Thank you so much, Dora 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
This glows from the inside out!!!
And I absolutely love this sentence: “And just like that a plethora of burning questions
emerge as orchids growing in the wild.” The image of questions bursting into blooms like orchids – it’s so wonderfully visual.
Thank you so much, Kim 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Stellar work Sanaa, this is a very close and intimate poem, I felt I was listening in.
Thank you so much, Paul 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Of course Selene was special–but I hate the echoes of the old idea that dark skin was automatically considered less beautiful.
(My husband didn’t complain about being darker than his siblings. He just quietly out-achieved and then out-lived all of them.)
Thank you so much, Priscilla 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️