Medusa
They called her a monster,
transformed from fair maiden into foul creature
A girl whose beauty rivaled that of the gods themselves,
whose name was whispered in equal awe and envy
Powerless against Poseidon’s lustful desires,
her sacred sanctuary was seized by his merciless grip
Blamed for the sea god’s sins,
she bore Athena’s wrath, her suffering a scapegoat for his violation
Banished from the realm of man, she wandered a path unknown,
a lost soul longing for a home in a world turned against her
Her once luscious tresses now venomous serpents,
writhing and twisting in perpetual torment
Her once lovely blue eyes now cursed with a petrifying gaze,
turning strangers and lovers alike into cold, unyielding stone
Her once wide-eyed innocence stolen by fate’s cruel hand,
a cautionary tale for those who dare to defy divine authority
In a garden once blooming with flowers, now a graveyard of statues,
her name was whispered in terror and contempt
Young Perseus, hailed as a hero, held her head like a trophy,
a weapon forged from a woman’s pain, forever displayed on Athena’s shield
Oh, Medusa, how your tears fall,
silent rivers of sorrow
Did they hear your cries of agony,
lost in the echoes of despair?
Did they ever stop to wonder about the heart
hidden behind the viper’s hiss?
Did it even occur to them that you didn’t have a choice,
bound by the whims of gods with no concern for your grief?
It must have been lonely on that island,
forced into a lifetime of solitude
Fearing your reflection, a cruel reminder of the price you paid
for being a pawn in their game
Cursed for your beauty and slain for your lack thereof,
forever remembered as the villain in your own story
They called her a monster, but she was just a girl
About the Author:
Aigerim Bibol is a high school junior from the DC area. She is an editor for Polyphony Lit
Magazine, The Trailblazer Literary Magazine, Peiskos Literary Magazine, and a BreakBread
Literary Apprentice. When she’s not reading or writing, she can be found singing along to Taylor Swift, binge-watching Gilmore Girls, and drinking copious amounts of coffee.