Medusa

Claimed by a man,

beauty was traded for venom.

Because of him, I am cursed

With a permanent crown of scales.

Please do not try to catch my gaze;

I will weep for your demise.

I shield my eyes for the sake of the masses;

If I could name the true curse:

solitude.

Am I a monster?

Maybe.

Lower your shield, Perseus, for there is no need.

I knelt to drink from a still river

And couldn’t help but steal a glance.

Do not leave me to spend eternity swimming in my iris.

Make my body a boulder.

Place me in the rapids,

So that their path must submit to my will.

Or plant me in a forest,

so I may stand my ground against the roots that cover me.

Turn my weak will into persistence.