She stood there unmoving, her back straight
Still as a statue, after a long, torturous wait
With hair fluttering like a smashing sail
Vivid like sunset that seeps through every crevice in the air
Amber eyes burning like the fiery depths of hell
Passion muffled by the angelic smile on her face
With rattling grace she marveled at its perfection
The litheness of its descent enough to set her heart into delirium
It landed with a thud, breaking branches on its wake
Cawing once, the milieu faded on the background
Emblazoned with nameless hues and shades
Now everything else dulls and fades
She reached for an arrow, wondering
Why a thing with feathers on one end
Soft and innocuous as it may seem
Can have a part so inevitably noxious, it’s inane
Stretching the bow as far as it may go
The sound making her flinch all the way through
Her hands, so steady, now quivered ever so slightly
She aimed, the voice in her head screaming finality
For one moment her resolve faltered
Wavering as her stormy gaze softened like snow
The roaring in her ears dulled to a white noise
As the creature turned and snatched her voice
A gust of air escaped from her mouth
Breathing was suddenly impossible
But before the beauty could take off and leave her
A sudden prismatic burst of feathers filled the air
In high school, we were required to read a Filipino epic poem called “Ibong Adarna.” In a nutshell, it is about a magical bird that could heal anything by singing its seven songs. However, these songs could put anyone to sleep almost immediately and once you’re under, it will turn you into stone by dropping its poop on you. I wrote “Artemis” when I was in college, inspired by this magnificent bird and the goddess of hunt herself, hoping I could paint with my words, as was the goal of our literary folio that year called “Canvas.” If you made it this far, thank you so so much for reading this.