A Heroine’s Journey to Rescue Her Inner Child
By Kemi Amusan
So, what if Lilith is poised for a different mission this time
and Vashti can show the king where to shove it
yes, we know Mary is no pushover either
and Rahab’s done tricking for her pimp Jericho
its Tamar’s business if she won’t let in her self-righteous father-in-law
but it is a man’s world, and women must do as they are told
Medusa vs Poseidon and Perseus
With the pain of Poseidon’s violation too ugly to share, Medusa went alone and forged her path.
She worked the fields and labored like men, lifting the hoe to till her ground.
Her body changed, her palm grew calluses, her bosom hardens and her countenance soured
He juices drained off, her curves straighten, her hormones ran amok and softness eluded her
Till the steel in her gut became a question mark to the men
but Medusa made no apologies
In a dog-eat-dog world and Medusa had to become a man
She ate like them drank like them and chewed tobacco like them
To match the depth of their voice she spoke louder and they called her aggressive
To assert herself she polished her argument and they called her disagreeable
To match the scarcity of their words she became reticent and they called her cold
To match their ambition, she set her sights higher and they called her power hungry
To match their calculatedness she became strategic and they called her a bitch
To match their sexual confidence, she set herself free and they called her nasty
To match their strength, she bulked up with muscles and they called her fat
She declared liberty to women and they called her man eater
Because she won’t wear her hair the way they wanted, they called her a witch
Afraid that in her power she would come for vengeance they sent Perseus to lay down the law
He had fallen for her, and something in her had loved him too
But her fear of hurt, her passion bridled, frozen, stuck and needing to be unthawed, she couldn’t open up to him
Since she won’t open for him, he cut off her head
Even in death she looked frightened
her hair had eyes watching everywhere.
It sent shivers down the spines of the onlookers
Now in this lifetime, Karen is set to avenge Medusa
Karen’s Coven vs the Patriarch
After years of being put upon by the patriarch and her choices limited to the furtherance of her father and husband’s agenda, Karen’s flowing flowery skirt is long gone.
In its place now is a purposeful, strong, driven woman who must now champion her own course
Like Arya she has chosen a different needle, and not the one for joining fabrics
She will fight to rescue her child,
and ensure that never again will the Medusa story happen
heaven help any who stands in her way
She forms a coven of drunk ex queens, scorned lovers, mad maidens and frigid nuns.
Now steeped in liquor, Vashti rages. “If I will wave any kerchief this time, it is with a mission in mind, cause this bitch has got her sights set high.” She was the queen who was banished for pride.
With her crimson nails, Jezebel brings her wine glass to her ever red lips, sips then declares,
“Tell Naboth sorry but his yard is mine, cause bae is getting paid big time.”
Herodias raises her glass in toast and hisses, “Guess who is coming for John’s head this time. Let the church be the church and the state be the state! Damn it!!”.
Lilith paused the loud chewing of her gum and blew it largely then giggles, “I am just here waiting for the next sucker trying to put a baby in of me. Y’all know I am tying that tube at the count of two.”
A maiden in a nun’s outfit joined the rant. She spoke of Jephthah her famous father
“Here I was praying for his victory but when he arrives from battle, unscathed I might add, he dedicates me to the temple. Without my say so. But it is a man’s world and I did as I was told.”
Another woman in apron speaks up
“I would rather have sat with the philosophers but one look at my mother’s face I knew I wasn’t to embarrass my father with my ‘thirst for knowledge.’ I am only required to be ‘good and pretty’ for the special occasion when I share his bed, because hey, those are the highlights of my life, after all. It is a man’s world and us women must know our place.”
An older woman with deeply etched facial lines join in. She used to be known as Naomi, but now insists on being called bitterness. “Men kept us safe, only so we could give them more children who will then go on to die at war. Now our beauty is gone under the weight of childcare and all for nought while men move on to the nearest bouncier younger girl their manhood points to.
In the distance the men stood,
Just for kicks the first knights watched.
Jesting mocking and rolling their eyes.
Same old same old the princes belched.
Different versions of the same woman singing a song
The girl who for safety has sought the temple
only to have her sacred place violated by the powers that be
Same old same old, they toasted and cheered
So, what if Lilith is poised for a different mission this time
and Vashti can show the king where to shove it
yes, we know Mary is no pushover either
and Rahab’s done tricking for her pimp Jericho
its Tamar’s business if she won’t let in her self-righteous father-in-law
but it is a man’s world, and women must do as they are told
Karen rises and the first knight pauses
He could feel more trouble brewing
His ex-wife’s stubbornness, anger, and control
will like an epidemic soon flood the city
infecting the younger birds to be cruel and bad lays.
A brilliant idea struck in his head
make it a girl-on-girl fight to make it stop
in all his gallantry the first knight rises
and valiantly defends the patriarch
Yes, Poseidon encroached Medusa’s space
Yes, Perseus cut off Medusa’s head
but it was Athena who banished her innocence
it was Athena who envied her power
and it was Athena who ordered her slain
it was Athena who made of her head an amulet
Athena has no heart maybe your lot must help her find it
The War
Blind in rage they saw not Athena’s side
She was only a woman birthed from the fear of her father
stirred by a prophecy that had him swallow his wife
Soon in his head Zeus had felt a pang
“Congratulations Mr. Zeus,” the doctors had pronounced. “You are head-pregnant with a girl child.
She shall be the goddess of wisdom and goddess of war
A master strategist she will be and none will be able to stand her.”
They said nothing about her having a heart
She was a woman who knew not the mother’s touch
How then could she have learnt to empathize
She was a woman who knew not the mother’s love
How then could she have felt Medusa’s pain
She was as much a victim as they were, but the coven seethed on
They trapped Athena and set the temple on fire
But it did not fix their pain
They made from Medusa’s head their own sigil
But that did little to pacify their anger
They became men in skirts, different gender the same wound
they became the evil they cursed in Athena
and in their ‘goodness’ suffered women to be slain
All along their inner child persists, “mommy is it safe? Can I come out and play?”
Seeing the patriarch’s game, the coven cast Poseidon to jail and cut off Perseus head
But that did nought to calm their child
They brought down the knighthood and declared themselves kings
They put the first knights in skirts and painted their faces
But it did not put a smile on their faces
They got too busy getting drunk on power
To remember why they got strong
activism and fighting – That was the easy part
Putting down the wall and resolving the pain
Unearthing the child and shifting to love
Was the true mark of strength
Now with each ball that is broken
And with each blood that is drained
With each toe that they trample
And with each neck she strangles
With each one upmanship celebrated
the child’s cry persists
mommy is it safe? Can I come out and play
They won but found no sleep
They triumphed but found no respite
They became too burdened to create.
-Too exhausted to heal.
-Too depleted to play.
-Too masculine to be present.
-Too caged to be free.
-Too worried to trust
To their therapist they cry, “Help! We can’t analyze our way out of this pain.”
The Real Fight
So, what if Lilith is poised for a different mission this time
and Vashti can show the king where to shove it
yes, we know Mary is no pushover either
and Rahab’s done tricking for her pimp Jericho
its Tamar’s business if she won’t let her self-righteous father-in-law?
This is not a Karen song
This is not a feminist anthem
This is a call for the heroine to rescue her child
To ditch the woes and spread the love
To forgive the past and plant new seeds
To heal our wounds and join our hands
To light the candles and color our world
“I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles.” Audrey Hepburn
“If you can dance and be free and be embarrassed, you can rule the world.” Amy Poehler