ANDROMEDA’S ORPHAN

Cloistered by terror of petrifaction,
child grew in shadow of mother’s death
and pulsing trident.

Resentment burgeons with maturing muscles.
Eyes emulate hardening scales
as she watches Poseidon falter
with worshippers’ decline.

She grows curious
of the fascinating scents and detritus
as retribution approaches.

Bursting from eon-eroded shackles
in absence of long-dead jailor,
she dares the unfamiliar open waters
to rise – starving maw eagerly swallowing
families who betrayed their home
for delusion of greener pastures.