Medusa – The Royal Octopus

I once was a maiden, quiet and sweet,
With sunlight that danced at my mortal feet.
A girl of the earth, no goddess, no throne,
But beauty can curse when the gods make it known.

The sea god approached with a predator’s eye,
And none heard my pleading, or answered my cry.
Athena looked on with a heart turned to stone,
And punished the victim for crimes not her own.

She coiled my hair into serpents that hissed,
She turned every gaze to a fatal mist.
Banished, I wandered to caverns of shade,
And there in the darkness, my refuge was made.

My sisters stood firm, unbroken, unbowed,
They guarded my silence, they cursed the proud.
Their love was a beacon, a spark in my night,
Yet whispers of ‘monster’ soon shadowed that light.

Perseus came with a coward’s disguise,
With gifts from the gods and fear in his eyes.
He struck while I slumbered, no honour, no word,
And over my body, the heavens stirred.

They called him a hero, they praised him with song,
Yet none saw the evil, or named it as wrong.
For I was a girl, abused and betrayed,
A warning in marble, a myth they remade.

So call me a monster, but know I was true,
A victim of gods and the cruelty they brew.
And still my sisters, in sorrow, remain,
To mourn the sweet girl who died in her pain.

***Perseus and the Gorgon***, by Laurent Marqueste

2025 ©️

In shadows deep where whispers crawl,
I stand, a queen beneath them all.
My hair, once silk, now writhes with spite,
A crown of serpents, born of night.

Look at me—if you dare,
Feel the weight of my endless stare.
In my gaze, your heart will freeze,
Stone-bound, trapped in silent pleas.

I once had beauty, grace, and charm,
But the gods cursed me with blighted harm.
Now, men fall with just a glance,
Petrified in a deadly dance.

Look at me—if you’re bold,
I’ll steal your breath, I’ll turn you cold.
What you fear is what I’ve become,
A bitter song that’s left unsung.

But see beyond this cursed face,
A broken soul in a cruel embrace.
I did not choose this endless fight,
A monster made from another’s spite.

Look at me—and you might see
Not a beast, but tragedy.
In the cracks of stone, a heart still beats,
In the silence, a cry repeats:

Look at me..

2024 ⓒ