I do not usually ask the heavens
to grant me answers to prayers
whispered in desperation,
with eyes shut closed in quiet devotion.
I have no need to pine for a life
that is not mine.
Yet, he came waltzing in
as if the Fates gave Aphrodite
a moment away
from her usual routine
to grace me with a present so sly,
so saccharine—
a love laced with the sweetest nectar
rivaling the brutal gods’ will,
whilst I was minding my own,
uncaring about the world and all its uncertainties.
But Venus made sure Eros’ arrow found us,
piercing through what was and will be,
and we fell into the deep,
its speed seemingly reaching
terminal velocity,
with a scalding heat akin to a forge
belonging to the goddess’ former lover.
The fire consumed us both
as we were hurled into
a cosmic story
of a chance romance
circling the universe and its secrets,
revealing its ethereal beauty
whilst embraced by the warmth
of vivid synchronicity,
a long-foregone artifact
kept from our souls,
only to be met with a meteor
crashing into our lives,
derailing our orbits,
keeping us apart
in the bitter atmosphere of nothingness
—the goddess of love’s sick idea of a joke.
I do not usually ask the heavens
for favors of fervor
yet, this once, I ask thee, Aphrodite
to rid me of the memory
of this cruel gift you bestowed,
for along with the scorching warmth of longing
and calamitous nostalgia,
you have cursed my heart
to wander the fields of Asphodel—
forever alone and pining
for a soulful love pried away,
with the Fates taking the reins to ensure
our paths never cross again. F
