I gather my daughter’s broken bones
Turn shards of porcelain into stronger things:
Iron backbone, steel heart, fingers as sharp as stiletto knives.
She returns to the world in the wake of her destruction,
Christened strong.
She sets fire to her blood, send it coursing through limbs
Seeking to spur herself forward to godhood and greatness,
Better lives than she had previously known:
Isis, goddess of life
With hands open, giving herself in selfless benevolence;
Nike, goddess of victory
Grasping her golden laurels, amassing her triumphs;
Hella, goddess of the dead
Ripping those who dare to touch her into shreds.
Such a brittle bird heart, but what strong wings.
I cut her bonds and bid her fly
Farther than I have gone,
Into lands where men will not try to claim her as
Possession, decoration for a golden cage
Where her voice will swell and blend with
The roar of a lioness
The roar of the sea
The roar of an avalanche
Where she will know her worth and she will know
That life is not cowers and apologies,
It is bravery and words of defiance
Announced in her own quavery tones.
Hannah McDowell is a 20-year-old casual reader and dog enthusiast. Her favorite color is red, her favorite song is Heaven by Amber Run, and she is currently studying to become a high school French teacher.
Goddess of Water by Ronnie Biccard