did you know that when icarus flew
too close to the sun
it was because he was so tired of being cold
that he’d rather die burning up?

did you know that when andromeda
was chained to her precipice
she hoped for mercy,
not salvation?  

i suppose you didn’t;
these aren’t the kind of tragedies
people like to write about
these aren’t the kind of tragedies
that are beautiful in spite of it or because of it.

we hate narcissus for loving himself more
than we could ourselves.
we **** aridane to the maze for
leading us out of it.

still, she weeps for those
who fell in love with the gods
and for those who fell in love with those
who could never love them back.

she weeps for the gods that did not weep for her
and her tears become the sea
that drowned tomorrow’s heroes
in their own stories.