Leda, by Molly Cimikoski

Leda and the Swan, artist unnamed, a copy of a lost Michelangelo, estimated date 1530-1560.

Leda

Denied access to her love anew,
Zeus sought other means to possess her.
Hidden in the marsh, he tracked her:

His golden pinions brushing frantically against her thighs,
pulling her apart. 
The cruel speculum of his beak penetrated, 
devouring her soul as she cried out: no. no.

But The Swan is not god,
and though she couldn’t retrieve 
what he thieved, the staggering girl
(our queen) closed her shaking hands
around his downy neck; wringing

fiercely, she silenced him at last.

​Molly Cimikoski

Molly Cimikoski was born and raised in beautiful New Hampshire, but now spends her days in sunny Santa Monica, California. She recently completed her master's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University and is pursuing her goal of becoming a professor.