Apate, veiled
in night, twists her
tongue. Her lair is
laid with bones
of suitors from
before, yet my
hands caress
and seek her
siliconed embrace.
Detail of sculpture by Rodin
Apate the deity of deceit seemed to a goddess that we have forgotten. Her siblings were Geras, the personification of old age; Oizys, the personification of suffering; Moros, the personification of doom; Momos, the personification of blame; Eris, the personification of strife; Nemesis, the personification of retribution; and Keres, the personification of carnage and violent death.
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Wow!!! This is deliciously dark and enticing 😀 Thank you so much for participating Bjorn 😀
Lots of love,
Sanaa
I think I could write for each of Apate’s siblings… would be a dark book set of poems be…
What would family dinner at their house have been like?
I think they would have needed house-guests to enjoy…
Yes! Now that would have been some night to remember. Passion, pain, fear in between courses.
Another exquisite piece!!
This is wonderful… 🙂
Night would make a gorgeous wedding dress.
I also see “apathy veiled” in the opening line.
You doubled up on the “and,” but I actually like the stutter it creates; I think it’s really cool. Maybe put a comma after the first “and” to jam the pause in, to show that it’s not an accident (even if it is).
This is gorgeous.
I’ll tell you like I tell De:
I wish you’d pop out 8
poems in quick succession.
And she does it, too.
When I beg. 🙂
I love the slightly sinister quality of this!
I enjoyed your sensual take on Apate and squirmed by the idea of her killing her lovers after intercourse. a recurring theme in Greek mythology.
Excellent wordplay…
“…twists her
tongue.”
I love those two lines. Because they work as statement… and as invitation.
Ooh, what if Apate is twisting another “her’s” tongue? I think I see more than one woman in this tale.
Exactly, Em. That’s what I like about the lines–so many possibilities… and some of them rather unpleasant.
this one’s a sparkling gem, love the evil glints…”yet my hands caress and / and seek her / siliconed embrace”…reminds me of her male counterpart Dolos…
Apate the deity of deceit – she is new to me and I find her fascinating yet repelling. Your poem has made me curious.
Even before Adam and Eve! We can all fall victim to an embrace and deceit..maybe that’s one of the joys (and dangers) of being flesh and soul…
I really enjoyed this, Bjorn…the brevity of the poem that still expressed so much and, perhaps, as much–the notes that followed. I’m quite deficient in knowledge of mythology.
Very devious, this Apate, which reminds me of the black widow spider, who lures in a mate, only to kill him later.
Love: Apate’s siliconed embrace. Very cool 21st century spin on an ancient Greek deity. I imagine Geras, Oizys, Moros, Momos, Eris, Nemesis and Keres can’t be too pleased. Smiles.