Ah, lovely five-toed nymph
who bounds within forest green
which god is angry at you
bringing down the most
horrid pain, wanting to
hear you scream?
Scream I shall never
though foot tries to
escape itself, tiny arrows
plunking the upper, the
lower, the inner
See that yonder stream ahead
where Narcissus met his doom?
I circle around it, fancying
the cool waters and dancing
fishes drowning out my pain.
*
Ruth Z. Deming, a psychotherapist, has had her work published in lit mags including The Legendary, Literary Yard, Mad Swirl and Writing Disorder. She lives in Willow Grove, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. She runs New Directions Support Group for people with depression, bipolar disorder and their loved ones. Her blog is http://www.ruthzdeming.blogspot.com/
This is one of my favorite poems. If only English lit could have been so entertaining 🙂