No more fight in you, Ares?
He stood stiffly before us,
looking at each of us as if it was the first time he could see,
tracing over the Pantheon over and over again.
His eyebrows shaded his eyes,
his eyes distant like a drawn sword,
his jaw clenched tight.
We jolted as his sword clattered like thunder on the marble floor,
Ares didn’t even flinch,
staring at the shocked faces of his family watch him on the surface of his blade.
Zeus raised his head, threatened.
Ares smiled.
No, Ares, said, and he chuckled, his eyes shined as he addressed the gods, whispering, Not for you.
He looked at the eyes of those he was raised by,
those he was raised with,
and those he helped raise up.
Zeus glared at Ares.
Ares chuckled, no longer a man strapped in armor,
but a boy, shrugging off ill-fitting clothes.
I want to see you fight for yourselves.
With this, Ares came undone, his scars unravelling him like ribbons.
Light gleamed though the gaps of his half-dissolved legs and arms,
consuming him in its glare until it was just his smile glowing in the brilliance, a dove flying out of the glimmer as tooth by tooth, his smile faded, until Ares was a flock of doves blazing through the air as peace itself.
Epiphany sat in my throat, and spoke Truth,
that Ares was a boy when he was first given a sword after his dad caught him practicing magic.
That his first scar was from his father.
That he didn’t talk much, unless it was to agree to war plans.
Now, he would fly,
unbound by his grief, the shackles, his manumission,
closing his eyes as he felt the wind brush his skin,
and the rain dust his wings.
*
Art by Flora Borsi.
*
The Word Not World Series (WNW) is an interactive anthology where, once a week, I share a photo and peers give me words that inspired them. Their words inspire poetry, like this one. This poem was inspired by “manumission,” @angela_psalm (IG), “freedom,” from @catscratch345 (IG) and
, and “grief” from @kbjwrites (IG). Thank you for your inspiration. If you would like to join in on the fun, I post the picture prompt every Saturday on Substack, and my Instagram page @enis.st.sparrow