1. a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some

natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.

 

2. a widely held but false belief or idea.

 

 

I was once

a queen

condemned

to quarry

 

For years

 

My mortal being

misunderstood

made into

a mythical creature

and so

 

For years

I’ve been burdened by dread

 

My viper locs

move in locomotion

they curl

they loop

they coil

 

A construction of contempt

created

by divinities of vain

 

By a

Poseidon

Athena

Neptune & any

other

who holds themselves in

higher regards

 

Porcelain paintings

discourage my

blackness my

obsidian

body

 

For years

 

They have been

scared of my supernatural

being so they knot up

my wings

 

For years

 

Ancestors like me

have been lost at sea

have not been seen

 

But I am still beautiful

So much so

 

They look to me

and turn to stone

 

I am not

your Medusa

though