α.
when you call for war,
a god will answer.
but
you will not meet ares, nor mangala,
not chiyou, nor bandua.
no.
i can promise you,
that if you call for war,
none of those gods
will be the one who answers.
β.
when you call for war,
anat, and freyja,
and minerva, and sekhmet
will gather at your back,
armored,
their swords and spears
rattling against their shields.
but still,
they are not there to answer
your call.
γ.
when you call for war,
she will come.
she will be frightful and bloody,
decorated
with fiery jewels and a dark veil.
she will be young,
barely out of childhood,
and she will look so,
so innocent.
she will not smile yet.
δ.
when you call for war
and she comes to answer,
you will be afraid.
it is not a choice,
you will be afraid.
she will look at you,
and her dark eyes and
tears
will fill you will sorrow and dread.
it is not a choice.
ε.
when you call for war,
you will ask why she came instead.
everyone asks.
she will tell you that you are
mistaken.
she does not come
instead.
she is precisely what you called for.
she will ask you to listen to her story.
it is not a choice.
ζ.
"i was fourteen"
she will tell you.
"it was supposed to be
"a wedding."
she will sob,
and you will want to comfort her.
you cannot.
"my wedding."
she will sob again.
"they lied."
η.
"i was fourteen."
she will look desperate,
and furious.
"fourteen and they took me to the temple.
"they told me it was to be
"my wedding."
you will see her wings then,
dark, and scraggly, and far too big.
they will loom like a vulture's,
and you will be awestruck.
θ.
"i was fourteen,
"and still they took me to the altar."
she will be hysterical by then,
sobbing and laughing.
"war would be started with
"my blood."
her divine nature will show itself then,
and you will be horrified.
you will ask
why she's telling you her story.
ι.
"you must understand war."
she will tell you.
"understand my pain to understand
"what is to come."
you will not understand.
not yet.
"you have called for war,
"and i have answered."
you will fall to your knees
when her eyes burn with fury and despair.
κ.
"i died for my war.
"how many will die for yours?"
you will have no answer.
no one ever does.
"lives are at hand, child.
"will you cast them into war?"
you will answer,
and i pray that you'll say no.
but if you say yes,
then, well...
ω.
when you call for war,
she is the one who will answer.
iphigenia.
in the face of her terrible glory,
in the face of pain and loss,
you will understand war.
you have called the goddess of sacrifice,
and she is furious.
"how dare you call upon my name."
her smile is not a benediction.
YOU ARE READING
All of Mine
RandomA collection of poems and short stories written for gods, and myths, and the people I love.
