Medusa Literature

Letter to Medusa (poem)
Nick Davis

Dear Medusa,
You are the being of mythological nightmares,
But I know your story was different.
See, you were beautiful once, until man made you a monster.
Not giving two fucks that you were a victim first.
Yes, you beautiful Medusa,
Became the victim of a god’s human lust and a goddess’s unnecessary vengeful wrath.
The story goes Poseidon preyed on you like a shark and robbed you of everything,
But somehow by the strength of women, you remained beautiful.
And then to top it all off, Athena – that Judas to all women –
Looked at you without mercy, understanding or an ounce of compassion,
Turned you into the monster
And thus began the ancient tradition of victim blaming.
Somehow always leaving the dick off the hook, the powerful in charge.
Medusa, I understand you now
And somehow, I wish mythology gave us another hero;
One who would enter your house with all that was denied of you.
I’d imagine he’d remove his helmet, place his weapon on the ground
And declare with true regret in his heart,
“Medusa, I’m sorry and I’m listening.