Philomela by Sarah Daly
Magic,
I weave by night—
a double image,
a tactile fantasy,
a story, woven
with light.
The constant forsaking,
the betrayal, the violence
which renders me mute,
will not conquer all.
I must use my hands for
revelation.
Threads haunt
each day and gradually,
slowly, reveal
the message.
It is too late for my
salvation,
but I will destroy
yours.
Bio
Sarah Daly is an American writer whose work has appeared in As It Ought to Be Magazine, The Spotlong Review, Rejection Letters, Down in the Dirt, and elsewhere.
Author's note
I am fascinated by the creative means through which women have expressed themselves. I first became interested in Philomela’s story through reading Shakespeare’s shockingly violent Titus Andronicus in which one of the characters undergoes a similar experience. My poem explores the resourcefulness of Philomela, who has been deprived of her speech. She names her attacker through a feminine-coded activity, weaving. The attack itself precipitates a chain of grisly destruction that is an outward manifestation of its emotional and psychological devastation. I found the myth fascinating and sadly relevant today.
