I. Demeter: The Mother
what you do to my daughter,
I will do it to you a thousand times over. you took her—wrenched her, bloodied, ribcage how could a man know what it
means to have your heart break while it still beats? to feel your pained howl in every bone
I am the earth, and I will make you choke on it I will turn soil to a tomb,
the sky into gravecloth.
your crops will rot where they stand— and you will taste my venom in every bite of bread
you stole from me, but I will show you what theft is I will steal the breath from your lips,
and the sun from the sky
and watch as the world crumbles,
because I can no longer feel the warmth her blithe laugh and fair skin
you will beg for the mercy I was never given. winter will never end
until it swallows you whole
II. Pasiphae: The Queen
I once bore a crown,
but now I wear shame like iron chains— heavy, cold, cutting into flesh.
do you remember our wedding vows?
minos, were they “dance, puppet, dance?” turned my body to cage for a beast
a mockery stitched in agony
I am still waking,
each night—a sharp gasp,
a body not mine in the mirror.
look what you’ve made of me—
so wretched, so vile, you
ripped the meaning of the
word “mother” from my womb
and made me a wife to a despicable man you bound me to this monstrosity,
this stain on my skin
that burns and burns
hear the palace walls groan with my cries, the day I became a shell
you came in the night, stole my dignity, tore me open and left me hollow
I tear at the edges of my own soul,
raging against a world that will not bend.
no throne will fall for me,
no justice will rise from this ruin
the shame you cast upon my body
is now my only wreath,
and I wear it alone,
unseen, unloved,
until the earth forgets
the young queen who you
dragged to the ground
III. Cassandra: The Priestess
blood pours from my empty eyes,
the taste of iron bitter on my tongue,
and i scream with each splash unto my skin i, in my torn white dress, stumble through the ruin you claim the throne built on shattered bones, and the corpses of my newborn nieces and nephews, before i bleed, i watch it all burn
my beloved city of Troy
your laughter slices through me,
eyes glinting in the dark at my fear,
while I stand stripped bare,
a flickering candle caught in the storm
each heaving breath is a reminder of your savagery
Oh, cities and kings fall
men go to war and die
but what becomes of the girls
they destroyed and left behind
what about the girls
you’ve crushed underfoot?
left behind in your conquests,
reduced to whispers,
I’ll be the reflection you can’t stand, I’ll pray to the gods for your downfall and when it comes, I’ll watch you writhe, with crimson tears flowing from my eyes
Shel Zhou is a 17-year-old from the Midwest with a passion for healthcare, public health, and universal healthcare. As an advocate for gender-affirming healthcare and reducing healthcare disparities, Shel aims to make a difference in these fields. Their writing has appeared in Harmony Literary Magazine, Cloudgazer Magazine, Buttermochi Journal, and Young Writers Journal. Shel also serves as an editor for the Young Global Scientists Journal and is the founder of Inkbloom Literary Review and The Hummingbird Campaign.
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