The Keres

Keres: in Greek mythology, a family of female death spirits This is a dialogue between two of the sisters

Oh, it tastes so good- stomachs
skewered by phalanx, meat
of middle sopped thick
on our trembling tongues!

Don’t look at me with those
dark cherried eyes, those eyes
that only ripen around death.
Dear sister, don’t you
love anything
but blood?

I love what gives us life!
Come
swill this liquid sugar
with our sisters,
watch their eyes roll back
as hot juice rushes
into their clabbered
guts. Have you forgotten
how it feels,
this slashing of
these hallowed-out humans,
claws ripping, ravishing  
their veiny souls!

But we came from the same
black womb" don’t you
remember? We grew up
teething on the same sticky tongues
mother brought back
from the dark. What happened
to family?


Zeus did not create us
for family, but for fate.

Don’t look past me
to those reddened heroes, blood
in your eyes!
Will that blood
always come before
ours?