Andromeda

daughter of a courageous king
and a beautiful yet boastful queen,
she nervously awaits –
a beautiful virgin sacrifice.
chained to an ancient, weathered cliff,
she fearfully trembles –
vulnerable and terrified –
fated to quench a sea creature’s desires.

spied from the clouds
by a heroic young warrior,
she is rescued from the
hungry, looming jaws of the beast,
and it is slain by
our young hero,
never to terrify an innocent
ever again.

upon the day of her wedding
as she is prepared to make her vow,
her family recants on
a solemn promise,
thus dooming themselves to
a never-ending hell of
silent, unmoving seclusion
imprisoned in stony bedrock.

happily wed for the remainder of
their short, mortal lives,
the couple is now immortalized
in the twinkling of
night’s wondrous vista –
the maiden’s hands outstretched and chained
to remind foolish others of
the gods’ terrible wrath.