By Sharmila Maitra
Ancient myths say that I was born of ‘The Void,’
The only mortal descendant from the primordial
I was born of nothingness, but not to an emptiness.
I was a part of the Gorgon trio,
Yet somewhat different than the immortal duo,
With the passage of time, I chose a life of chastity,
As I became a priestess to Athena for all my mortal eternity.
People had different perceptions of who I was,
For some, I was a mysterious form of an ancient humanoid,
For a generous bunch, I was the ‘fair-cheeked Medusa’, a title that I now hope I could avoid.
As a fair maiden, I was the one true desire for several suitors,
And my voluminous hair had numerous wooers.
However, not even once did my heart flutter,
I was devoted to my duties with no qualms, not even a bemoaning utter.
I was contended as I was satisfied, blissfully unaware of what was to come.
One angelic day, at the temple, my eyes caught sight of a beautiful bird,
I stuck my gaze on the feathered creature as I walked toward.
Suddenly, the chirpy angel transformed and revealed his real monstrous self,
Poseidon, it was- there he was the divinity and the demon. The lord and the defiler.
There in the temple of Athena, Poseidon, the so-called god of the seas, raped me.
The one who was meant to listen to others’ plea, turned a deaf ear to me.
The one who was meant to protect had ravaged me.
However, little did I know that the worst was yet to come.
It was more than the damage to my body and soul that I had to overcome.
Athena, whom I had devoted myself to selflessly,
Sided with the power and punished me quite mercilessly.
Ironically, the Goddess of wisdom no longer perceived me as her dutiful priestess,
But blamed me for my rape and punished me for my so-called weakness.
There, at the temple, my modesty was outraged, and my faith destroyed,
Why? It’s a question that I cannot avoid.
Enraged with devouring her temple, powerful Athena cursed the powerless Medusa.
She gave me snakes for my hair,
And the trait to turn people into marble with just a single stare.
I was forced into the life of solitude, and for years that’s how I stayed,
Murdering numerous men who came looking for my now-prized head.
Until I was unable to defend and lost the life’s battle to Perseus,
The demigod who had come all prepared and, of course, well-aided by the gods.
My power was unknown to myself until it was severed.
My blood was both a boon and a curse, and my detached head, a weapon to be feared.
A snake-headed so-called monster during her life had become an evil-averting Gorgonian in the afterlife,
It’s ironic that in my death, I performed the duties that the gods failed to perform when I was alive.
With the passage of a few centuries, I, now, have become widely symbolic,
The embodiment of protection, today, Medusa is also the icon of fashion and feminism.
To some, she depicts the feeling of rage; to others, Medusa has become the complex associated with suppressing emotions.
She is found in several paintings and carved by various sculptors,
And also, a part of several sciences and popular cultures.
I am overjoyed as I proudly wear all these faces,
Because today, I am Medusa- The carer, guardian, and protector,
Who’s much more than just a monster.