ode to artemis

November 13, 2011
published in on the cusp's magazine "hunt" Autumn 2012

ode to artemis

lady artemis:

the wild beasts of today are no calydonian boars,

but pretty pop-culture vampires with shiny teeth,

fresh from makeup or their tiny diva dressing rooms. 

instead of the ceryneian hind, we have

werewolves with stars in their eyes brandishing

coca-cola logos that scream, “this is happiness, this is happiness!” 

ogres and giants still ravage innocent towns,

until they forget their next line, and the set lights go on,

and the director reminds them, “roar.  all you do is roar.” 

maiden huntress:

our hunters prance about in faux-metal armor,

casting their ragdoll eyes and sloppy smiles at anyone

who might be willing to take their picture. 

the orion of this age is some pre-teen one-hit wonder

actor/singer/pop-star who even has his own tv show

and always walks around with his hands ready on his hips,

frantically looking over his shoulder because he never knows

if he should strike a pose now, or now; like this, or no, like this.

dear sister:

today, all our girls are damsels who flounce and pout

and pine for some hero to complete them –

they fling themselves as shoddy sacrifices

upon any adonis look-alike with a tacky dollar-store costume

that’s already wearing away at the elbows and knees.

true goddess of the hunt:

the gods we worship are billionaire movie stars.  brand-name sponsors

serve as their blessed ambrosia, applause and canned laughter

their most sacred nectar.  their enormous faces expand

across mile-long billboards; their names transcend any natural death.

o, artemis, divine and perfect:

let us remember mortality. 

save us from this action-packed

comedy-horror-romance-adventure-thriller

sub-reality in which we now exist.