1

The leaders took their seats, and the common

 

       scowled and shook his fist.

 

2

         to do battle with him.

 

exulting in               bloodshed and slaughter.

 

3

         consider the good of the state.

    consider the killing

 

those who had participated in the robbery under his leadership

 

4

       we fought in the field

           digging a trench round their fortifications,

    deceived by a dream

 

attack the leaders with               words

 

 

           my words.

 

5

          and killed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         beneath the city walls

 

6

 

        these weapons

  you need me to direct your thinking

 

      I am superior to you

 

 

The blade

 

7

      unhappy wife
   lost even her

            was in flames

women embraced the                statues

    

      kissed

              dragged her

 

8

The girl
            was snatched

         she did not forget herself
     his eyes fixed on her face

 

 

My only wish is that my death could be concealed from

 

                  hands

 

9

         give back my body

             the knife
                   wife

 

    fell

 

10

    she made her way to the shore

 

 

 

 

             the sea

 

 

 

 

 

body, washed up on the beach

 

11

     smooth          words

         captive women

 

uttered barks instead of words.

 

 

 

          howl

  poor queen

 

12

           black smoke darkened

 

     black ash

 

 

 

 

    beaks and hooked claws

 

13

        flames

 he saw me, lying with

 

 

sea lay        before her

 

 

      waters churned over my head

 

 

I found myself

 

—–

This erasure poem was made from a translation of book 13 of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. It recently appeared as part of the Transformations project. Copyright James Knight. All rights reserved.