To be the one who speaks to a goat

to see it turn into a pink goddess

to bestow upon me a crown of flowers and blessings and luck for life?

A green goddess would suffice too I suppose.

I live my life peeking over a shield

the statue of one in our front yard

my home rests beneath its accompanying sword.

Twice I cut my brow running through the doorway.

And mother-

my delightful sprite of a caregiver-

called her father over

and they cooed over my sobs until my animal noises disappeared into

silence.

The same silence

in the garden,

the noise the flowers make when they speak.

The grass, however, the green grass I picture my goddess wearing

whispers my name in its Earthly accent.

hhhhheeeeeeehhhhhhsssssssstiiiaaaaaaahhhhhhhh

Hestia.

Hestia!

Come inside, you'll catch a cold.

My mother makes a pool of blankets

by the fire, and I nestle there by the hearth until she calls me to sweep and set the table.

What will it take for my mother to release me to the outdoors?

To explore the place my grandfather says is the upper level.

To understand why he calls it that- and where the lower levels must be.

Grandfather Hades

Watchful of my mother, watchful of me.

Warning me that I do not want the gods or goddeses who do exist to meet me.

My mother's scornful eye watching him in turn.

They call me Hestia

in hopes I turn out the domestic queen they mold me to become.

I've heard of the pink Persephone

and go on about the green Demeter

and my grandfather tells me to hush and set the table faster-

he is getting hungry.

I long to live outside

and see have a goddess take me away.

Between my thoughts, I hear my mother and her father

and he tells her of Persephone- the real Persephone-

and her witch of a mother Demeter

and how he so wishes the my own mom could have met either one.

She gives him a sharp look, and tuens to serve dinner.

Grandfather Hades and my Grandmother

named her Aphrodite.

And in line with the tales I hear of the real Aphrodite,

she hates talk of other women

even if they are

Grandmother Persephone and Great Grandmother Demeter.