waiting in the darkness
waiting
broken beauty buried
hidden and forgotten
but you are still there
all this time, still there,
just waiting for them to lift the stone
that sealed the temple
(tomb)
when the foreigners came
smashing you down with their empire
slaughtering your people
your marble is dirty
and cracked
and parts of you are missing
but you are no less lovely
for all that
and no less powerful, either
one look from that fierce gaze
enough to turn someone else to stone
just like you
and the hand that lays open on your lap
could just as easily bereave
as exalt
Kybele, Kybele,
they prayed to you for prosperity, fertility
they begged for your blessings
and though those who once called your name with joy
are gone now,
you will find no shortage of those
all too willing
to take their place
All Their Voices 