aphrodite of cyrene
by crystal tiara

o goddess shrouded in mystery,
have you ever seen your face,
or shown it to us humans?
do you know what shade
your enchanting eyes were
or how luscious your lips
must have been?
perhaps, your beauty was stunning
enough to turn men into stone
with a single glance to break them.
were your arms meant to hold, or were they
outstretched, enticing, beckoning the
wayward mortal into your embrace?
did you hold your head high
so you could watch, with scorn,
us humans from your pedestal?
or was it bowed low, paying homage to
the sea which rushed forth
to give you life?
cloaked in naked incompleteness,
the enigma in you
brings out your beauty.

Author’s Notes: The inspiration for this poem came from a headless, armless sculpture called “Aphrodite of Cyrene”. It was found in the Roman baths in Cyrene, North Africa. I first saw a picture of it in Gabriele Rico’s book, “Writing the Natural Way” (which has been an immense help to me these past few days). You can learn more about Aphrodite of Cyrene here (just put the spaces together): http // faculty. etsu .edu/ kortumr / 07hellenicgreece /htmdescriptionpages /