The Magdalene of Melancholy by Mary McCarthy

Mary Magdalene as Melancholy, by Artemisia Gentileschi, 1621.

The Magdalene of Melancholy

Mary, more than sorrow
I see your weariness,
head bowed, eyes closed,
tired of seeing
what centuries have done
to defame you.
Steady and deliberate
they rewrote your story
moving you
like a wooden chess piece
from your place of honor,
wise and trusted companion,
first among apostles,
who sat perhaps too close
to the teacher
in a spot all coveted
to make their own.
You were, the fathers wrote,
no wise and holy woman,
but a sinner, a common
prostitute, a comfort woman,
forever scarlet,
begging forgiveness for her many,
many sins.
You carry that burden,
such a successful
character assassination
after two thousand years
it still persists
so useful for keeping us,
daughters, mothers,
wives or nuns,
in our most proper places.

Mary McCarthy

Mary McCarthy has always been a writer, but spent most of her working life as a Registered Nurse. Her work has appeared in various on line and print journals, including Gnarled Oak, Earth's Daughters, and Third Wednesday, and she has been a Pushcart nominee.