Medusa

This comes from the poetry prompt for my Advanced Creative Writing class, where we were to write something in the style of Anne Carson's Autobiography of Red

Appendix

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Gorgon: having the face of a human female, with venomous snakes for hair. looking

    directly at her turns mortals to stone.

Medusa: A gorgon. Beheaded by the hero Perseus.

Going Out

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She felt like an anti-vampire, only going out in sunlight.

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She put on her slouchy hat and mirrored glasses,

checked her reflection

nothing peeking out from under her hat

she couldn’t se her eyes.

She stepped out of her door and into the bright sunlight

she only went out when it was bright

that way she could wear her hat and sunglasses

people still stared though

it is hard not to get stares when your hat squirms

or hisses

Just don’t stare back, don’t look people in the eye

even through dark glasses

a returned stare could still harden hearts

and faces.

Blind Date

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Dating is such a complicated thing.

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She finally had a date with someone who wouldn’t get stoned

just from one look

someone who could be with her and not make her feel guilty.

Her friends had set them up

a private screened booth in a fancy restaurant

no one staring

She could even take her sunglasses off once the waiter left

her friends had left instructions

no one was to come in for half an hour after the food had been served

they would have time

for her to explain the hissing, the rustling sounds

she would tell him

not to touch her face, her hair until it knew him better.

Bad Hair Day

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It was one of those days where nothing was going right, and she hadn’t even had breakfast yet.

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She had been fighting with her hair in the mirror for fifteen minutes

it wouldn’t hold still

hissing, slithering, twisting, twining

they wouldn’t take treats

how was she supposed to go out with her snakes acting up?

they hadn’t liked him

the blind date. It had gone fine, he was polite, quiet, blind

but the snakes didn’t like him

they didn’t share her loneliness, her need for company

the snakes had each other

who needs a human when there are serpents around

but it wasn’t fair

just because they didn’t like him, they were throwing a hissy-fit

literally, and loudly