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Pandora, by Karen McAferty Morris

7/5/2021

6 Comments

 
Picture
Pandora, by John William Waterhouse (UK) 1896

Pandora

The ornate gold box perches on a rock.  
You kneel before it, hand just lifting the lid,
chin lifted to peer into the slit
that hints of sparkling things. Who
could resist opening such a gift?

Dark trunks of branchless trees, boulders, 
a dusky stream with a lace-splashed
waterfall surround you. 
The hem of your delicate gown of ebony and mahogany, 
is stitched in gold—Athena taught you weaving skills, 
one of your gifts from all the gods.
The only glow in these dark woods
comes from the carved chest and your pale skin-- 
Epimetheus made you of finest clay, 
the kind that yields porcelain. 

You could not know how costly the contents,
retribution for Prometheus’ forbidden gift of fire 
to humans, all evils and plagues, war, toil.

I recognize the look on your upturned face, Pandora, 
the moment just before the world-altering mist
escaped and sent you reeling in shock, 
until you closed the lid trapping that one thing inside. 

Anticipating good, sometimes we are crushed,
perplexed by outcomes we caused or were innocent of,
called on to assemble our own gifts--courage,
patience, reason, and often self-forgiveness.

After all this, your daughter would survive the coming
flood and renew the drowned world 
by casting stones on the earth, generations 
who must face those horrors and misfortunes,  
must fold them in among the ordinary hours, the joys.


Karen McAferty Morris

Karen McAferty Morris loves poetry for its ability to lift both the heart and mind to discoveries, connections and, ultimately, comfort. She is Poetry Editor of the National League of American Pen Women’s magazine The Pen Woman. Her chapbook “Elemental” was published in April 2018, followed by “Confluence” in May 2020. Morris' poetry, written in both free verse and forms, has been recognized for its "appeal to the senses, the intellect  and the imagination." She lives in the Florida panhandle.

6 Comments
Heather Mitchell
7/5/2021 10:48:28 am

What a lovely interpretation of the artwork and rendition of the story. I was touched by the way you brought this home, to my life, with a breath of hope.

Reply
Randy
7/5/2021 01:21:27 pm

Great poem on a theme difficult to approach

Reply
Marilyn
7/5/2021 03:59:34 pm

Anticipating good, sometimes we are crushed,…. Speaks to us all in life relating Zeus’ punishment to our personal experiences. I continue to admire your talent!

Reply
Mara Viksnins link
7/5/2021 04:45:35 pm

This poem really captures the story and the beautiful painting! Love it!

Reply
Pat Black-Gould link
7/5/2021 04:59:34 pm

What a wonderful poem! It is a fitting lyrical companion piece to the powerful artwork. It evokes in the reader the emotional response that the artwork prompts.

Reply
Claire Massey
7/16/2021 01:10:38 pm

Two masters of their craft have joined forces here, so aptly depicting this iconic tale. An extremely skilled poet has done Pandora justice!

Reply

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