by Alexandra Lunn-Greep
Eileithyia
Eileithyia the bringer goddess of birth and labor
blonde ringleted child who pulled my hair
my friend my double we were wicked sprites
our eyes arrest in photographs our parents doting our friends
envious we were inseparable we were a sacred cave
It was night a knock at the door
I hid my treasures crouched behind sofa cushions
Eileithyia’s mother crying kneeling on our doorstep
My father firmly shaking his head then handing her a plastic bag of powder
We had come from caves I wasn’t allowed in your home
Your bell was broken so I’d pelt your window with gravel bits
Dream of climbing up your fire Escape desire so palpable
Myth says you are the Mother of Eros
You were the mother of mine
Before I understood the war of misogyny
I battled my own blood for understanding
I fought and bled for answers I slept with all my ancestors
and killed the dreams between my legs how the antlers
char when war consumes
I took war into my mouth and spat wrath in a
cataclysm of ash my organisms subsumed in it
Mother of Eros Mother of Ash
We bled from sea to sea
Eileithyia warrior of the coy and fecund daughter of screams
I sublimated my desire in shopping malls & in the schoolyard
In wood-paneled basements in suburban rec rooms
in the sprawl of the casual i adopted to pretend myself expansive
When making out with the drummer the bassist the drummer again the singer the singer the singers
I learned to loathe my kind so early i breathed it in like a costume i could not take off
The holiday tantrums and trauma headaches of eros in my young mouth
A cunt I could not fathom for its endless spun of mortal vigor
The death cycle of skin under the fluorescents skins in the dark deathbed room skins sagged
ungraceful and exhausted the black circle where I do not forgive you
Mother in Caves Mother Limestone Mother of Carbon
Mother of Magma
Melissa Eleftherion is a cis queer human, a writer, a librarian, and a visual artist. She is the author of field guide to autobiography(The Operating System, 2018), & ten chapbooks, including trauma suture (above/ground press, 2020), & abalone (poems-for-all, 2021). Her poems have been widely published, and nominated for various awards including the Pushcart Prize & Best of the Net. Born & raised in Brooklyn, Melissa created, developed, and co-curates The Poetry Center Chapbook Exchange with Elise Ficarra. She now lives in Northern California where she manages the Ukiah Library, curates the LOBA Reading Series, and serves as the Poet Laureate of Ukiah. Recent work is available at www.apoetlibrarian.wordpress.com.
Alexandra Lunn-Greep: Alongside taking photographs (as a complete amateur) Alexandra thoroughly thrives and grows immersing herself in nature, music, painting, gardening, dancing, writing and singing. In this present moment, she is a dedicated full time single mum of twins Gem and Ini who will be turning seven soon. She is beautifully supported by her family and friends, and works part time as a Forest School Leader. After living and working in Europe from 2010-2016, a spiritual awakening and self-evolution started and only continued since then. She speaks basic Spanish and Dutch and loves to travel with her children.