Hestia
I remember
when I was a child
and a man died in
the apartment downstairs
that his daughter gave us
books and toys
about the gods
and mythology of Greece.
Reading then
about Hestia
goddess of the hearth
I was sorry
that the one
with the name like mine
didn’t have a better job.
I’d rather have been in charge
of hunting or war
or the moon or
turning my husband’s lovers
into animals and trees.
But now I know
domesticity is hard work
and maybe having a goddess
on your side
wouldn’t hurt most days.
So sign me up
as a worshipper
while I lean over the stove
and I will offer up
the first and last
mouthful of food and wine
according to tradition.
By Zde - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
