Love is a dangerous serpent,
if you learn how to knot it
how to twist it back on itself
until it resembles nothing
of love at all,
then you can weave a noose
from the stands
cut from your own heart
and choke the life
out of those
who refused to take it
when love was first offered.
And now for our (optional) prompt. In her interview, Brim provides us with several suggestions for generative writing exercises, and we’d like to challenge to today to tackle her third one, which is based in the myth of Narcissus. After reading the myth, try writing a poem that plays with the myth in some way.
There is something in this myth that has rubbed me the wrong way today. I think it’s the parallel between Narcissus being cursed for not returning another’s love, and the current climate where women are sometimes thrown into toxic situations where rejecting an advance is seen as an insult that should be punished.
I think it’s brilliant that you’ve given the ugly side of something beautiful. It’s a real contrast but very real.
Thank you. I got really angry at the myth for some reason. I think it was the way love was almost used as a weapon to destroy someone which isn’t what love is about at all. Thanks for commenting.