Dear woman:
pick me as your patron deity.

Because I was born
in armour
and no man has ever cracked it.

Because I invented the bridle
and taught men to tame horses
(to distract them from tying up whores,
the bastards).

I allow men to rake the earth
but never to plough my body;
I’ll help Odysseus, Jason and Heracles but
never consort nor marry.

I’m the Virgin Goddess not because
I support
rules of sexual modesty and ritual mystery
(a failing of recorded history),

but because no man ever interested me.

They call me she who fights in front
and don’t forget it.

You don’t believe in such things
as goddesses;
but I’ve wars to make up for,
I want to help the women I’ve ignored.
Well, no more.

Pick me as your patron deity
and I will show you how men really are,
how much farther we could fall.

(Pick me and we will overthrow them all.)

 

Image: Dennis Jarvis

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Melissa Wellham works in social media by day, and writes science-fiction by night. You can follow her on Twitter at @melissawellham