Mid-Breath, Mid-Fall

not exactly,

I say

all the stars are out tonight,

this August night

~

with all the enthusiasm

of an overly fraught—

we wait with baited breath

for the awe-inspiring

~

nightwatchmen

but, my faith is strong

as Perseus, the hero of old,

sends forth arrows

~

and my love

is weakness in the blush,

touched by starlight,

filled with love, honour,

~

and the frenzy

not, out, out, brief candle

in great Ethiopia,

there was a Queen Cassiopeia

~

I say

with all

who ruled her nation

aside her husband Cepheus

~

of a

night watch

and to them

Andromeda was born, their daughter

~

but,

and, in the blush—

beauty was bestowed upon her

with also hubris

~

the frenzy

sex is a tepid form of

retribution

for—

~

Cassiopeia, full of vanity,

did call attention

to her beauty, beauty

that rivalled the sea nymphs

~

the back-to-basics

approach to trust

in her own mind

and angered the great Poseidon

~

but if faith

is the frenzy—

Cetus, legendary beast,

was sent to ravage Ethiopia

~

inhale, exhale

draw the breath—

a compromise was made:

Andromeda was offered as ransom

~

the role

of

the

falling

~

a fair maiden for the nation,

oh, who could save her?

as Perseus first set his eyes

upon the maiden damsel

~

a promise was made,

a pact that set Perseus

on a quest—

~

earth falls

he sought the head

of the great mortal Gorgon, Medusa,

with hair of snakes

~

powers beyond the world he knew,

his wits and wily spirit—

he needed, bravery unbound

~

my breath haunts me,

flowing forward,

from my mouth opened

in agaze—

~

agape drains me

as the coarsest takes his stand.

~

the head he sought,

he did claim

to battle mighty Cetus—

~

the coarsest a foe or no,

hero,

or the t-shirt

in your drawer.

~

with arrows and swords,

gleaming, shining metallic—

and now I am left thinking

~

of everything that

accounts for

banalismistics.

~

he hid and ducked,

slid and ran

and launched attack,

~

brave and true,

he knew what to do,

with blade in hand—

~

he took a swipe

across the neck

of the great Medusa.

~

so, with the dripping,

serpent-crowned terror’s head,

Perseus ventured

across the vast oceans

~

to honour his vow,

not once giving thought

to whether he lived or died—

~

to fight the mighty Cetus

and win the hand of Andromeda,

to win the praise

and derision of the gods themselves

~

Do I ever feel so heroic

and win the praise and derision

of the gods themselves

*

Thanks for reading!

Author's Notes: I had two warring, but connected poems. One was the bones of a very fragmented take on the Somewhere Between Here and There Challenge. The other was for Mike Singleton's August challenge (Which I missed! Sorry, Mike), inspired by the Perseid Meteor Shower and connected t0 Ancient Greek stories of Perseus.

Here's some other stuff.