Fingers quake 

As grown men tremble—

The faintest trill rolling 

Up and over fortress hill

The shrillest shriek 

of Aries’ seed,

Most noble empress 

The Amazon Queen!

 

          Bearing supple singular breast 

          For which to feed 

          A babe asleep

          In the bulging crook 

          Of Her mighty hammer

 

          The other freed;

          Severed impossibly

          Clean by obsidian blade

          Spattered with blood 

          The rust of fathers’ 

          Fettered dismay 

 

One thousand 

Ululating tongues 

Drowning out 

Pounding beats 

Of heart and hoof

Tasting in test

The acrid heat

Of striking tips 

Dipped in amphibian bane!

Ambivalent steel 

wielded with shield;

A sea of wicked mirrors!

A pummeling 

Justice wall 

 

Knowing in their bones 

When Death gallops toward 

No sickle nor sword 

Will pardon them

For Hippolyte and Her daughters 

Will sip from their skulls 

Iron nectar: honey sweet!

Wiping dribbling chins

From crimson’d grins

Basking widely with pride  

Their long gleaming manes 

Trailing beside

Wet entrails and teeth

 

ἀντιάνειραι!

Homer would recall,

“A match

                  For men.”