Rites and Wrongs, by Jane Blanchard

The Danaides, by John William Waterhouse (UK) 1906.

Rites and Wrongs
 
Again and yet again most daughters of
Danaus carry water to the sieve.
They may not stop. The Gods will not forgive
Their murders of the cousins wanting love
Beyond a kiss. That Father told them to
Is no excuse. Why heed an order from
The very man who bargained with those come
To keep the peace? Was death exactly due?
One sister struck her own deal with her mate:
Only if she stayed a virgin would
He live till dawn. However, neither could
Hold out much longer: Fate indeed is Fate.
With siblings all caught up in tragedy,
These two were meant to found a dynasty.

Jane Blanchard

Jane Blanchard lives and writes in Georgia.  Her sonnets have recently appeared in Adanna, Emrys Journal, The French Literary Review, The Healing Muse, Silkworm, and Valley Voices.  Her collections—the shorter Unloosed and the longer Tides & Currents—are available from Kelsay Books.