Stymphalian Shadow
Oh Artemis,
goddess of the hunt,
why do you sic
your pet on those
who have done you no wrong?
Be gone Ares,
god of war,
stop
the Stymphalian shadow.
Break its wings,
catch its beak,
let it writhe forever
against a prison of cork.
It escaped a pack of wolves
only to sweep across the valley
destroying olive trees
and peace.
Then the laughing dove
wakes me from my unsettled slumber,
“No, no, this is mine!” he cries, his breath
rattling jasmine out of the air.
And the Stymphalian shadow
passes over the dove.
Lo, watch, as orange blossoms
stop dancing for the moon
when fighter jets
pierce the night
with metallic poison.
__________________________________________
Copyright 2024 by Lucy Koons
Author’s Note:In Greek mythology, Stymphalians were man-eating birds with bronze beaks and sharp metallic feathers. They dropped poisonous dung and launched feathers at their victims. Their feathers could pierce both iron and bronze armor but, if a person wore cork, then the Stymphalians’ beaks would get caught in the cork, rendering the metallic birds impotent. This poem was inspired by the dreams I would be awakened from in Beirut when a neighboring country’s fighter jets would suddenly appear, fly threateningly low above the roof of our apartment building, and “buzz” the city.]
Lucy Koons is a Virginia native who has lived abroad for more than 20 years. She began her career in communications on Capitol Hill. Overseas, Koons worked at The American University of Beirut and Georgetown University in Qatar. Her favorite activity is going on adventures with her husband and daughter.
30 for 30 is sponsored by Potomac Review
Great start!
Thank you!
Enjoyed the audio feature, especially this line: “…his breath rattling jasmine out of the air.”
Thank you, Michele. It took 42 recordings using Voice Memos to get the emphasis throughout close to how I “hear” the poem in my head. I would love to hear audio of everyone’s poems.