Aster Minor

i met an old gray
elephant one time you see
she was all alone

waiting for a train.
do you have a light, ma'am?
i asked and she smiled.

you shouldn't smoke she
told me disapprovingly
if you don't want to

end up with skin like
this as she smoothed some wrinkles
with her trunk, frowning

but she most deftly
lit my cigarette thank you
i said i've never

met an elephant
before that is funny i
never met a girl

she paused well not one
so perceptive and bright as
you which made me laugh

i like you what do
they call you i asked with a
sidelong glance at her

aster minor at
your service dear thing
perhaps you can help

of course anything
i said looking up at her
giant gray sad eye

in an instant it
spilled tears down her cheek which hit
my outstretched hand

what is it aster
surely it can't be that bad
but it is she said

i don't remember
what i am here waiting for
or why i am here

aren't you waiting
for a train here same as i
am or perhaps some

sort of circus train
which circus do you belong
to i asked drying

her cheek none she said
indignant i may not be sure
exactly what i

am doing here but
one thing i know is i am
aster minor queen

of my people my
tribe must be lost without me
well calm down my dear

i'm sure they'll survive
no it's a matriarchy
don't you know a thing

about elephants?
well no i said i didn't
even know you could

speak, aster. i was
quite taken aback to be
honest with you, now

one thing i thought i'd
heard about elephants was
you are supposed to

have an amazing
memory. yes she exclaimed
yes i remember

that! aster minor,
the elephant with the worst
memory on earth.

good i said i'm glad
you remember now let's try
to figure out why

you are here waiting
for a train i said peering
into her big gray

eye which blinked once
and spilled more tears i think
i think i know now

well what is it, why?
she drew her trunk up to my
face and heaved a sigh

nevermind sweet girl
no, tell me, aster minor
i insist i said

i was a queen once
i know that much but it was
long ago maybe

i am now in a
circus i don't know but i
know i am all lost

and my tribe is gone
i don't remember their names
not even their names

and i remember
that i am old and wrinkled
fat and forgetful

and a queen without
a people is an empty
shell so i came here

just to end it all
i see i said that is twice
now you have left me

taken aback and
i know that's no easy task,
lady elephant

i apologize
she sniffled i forgot that
we aren't to talk

to humans i guess
you figured that much out my
girl stand aside now

here comes my train and
i don't intend to miss this
one after all i

will forget again
in a moment really i
said well that's a shame

because i could use
another light could you help
a human girl out?

of course she said and
gave me a light and i smoked
in silence until

the train barreled by
i gazed in that big gray eye.
a moment later

hello, i said i
can't help but wonder why an
elephant is here

waiting for a train
i was about to ask you
said aster minor

well there's a circus
in town i assume you are
lost. what is my name

she asked me with a
stare why are you asking me
lady elephant?

and i took her by
the trunk and walked towards
the circus grounds with

a queen without a
tribe a sad fat wrinkled gray
elephant alone

thank you, she told me
shush, lady elephant i
think you aren't to

speak to us. i know.
i remember now. well you
know forgetting is

easier sometimes.
i walked in silence with tears
streaming out of both

of our big gray eyes,
aster minor the lady
elephant and i.

Stories

"Heroes" is on television tonight, so that means I'll be skipping Dio's, for once. It's a good story, I enjoy following it. A bit recycled, perhaps, or too derivative of the comic book genre which is so openly references itself. Though I can relate to the cheerleader. I had to pack up and move once myself on short notice due to an incident with a garbage disposal back in the 1960s. Damn I miss that apartment.

I hope I can pull Ares in off the sidewalk to watch with me. He did once, but I think it depressed him. Sometimes I can't figure out what he expects, honestly. We haven't none of us seen any real action since the war, and he seems so empty, I just don't see any fight left in him. I don't know what if anything could light a fire under him. Maybe a woman... he always did like the ladies.

The problem is, to fight, to fight with honor, an enemy is required. An enemy of equal caliber and resources and a stance worth fighting for. And I don't know if we'll ever have that again, any of us. The world has become far too relative, and we have no unifying leaders among us. I blame that Einstein fella.

The pointlessness of it all envelops us. Life without death is meaningless. What is there worth fighting for? We have no people to protect, no children anymore... and I think I had come to terms with that in a way Ares has not, until I heard a line on a television program a while back. I am still mulling it over, but it went: "If nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do." It was on that show "Angel" and i think it laid bare a great truth. Maybe Ares is saner than I am, babbling, drool and all. He needs to do something that matters, and since he cannot, he lies broken.

I bet that Joss Whedon has some ichor in him. Here's to hoping Calliope has him on her radar, anyhow.

Herodotus Pudding

I got recognized on the subway last night coming home from The Delphi. An old lady pointed and mumbled and drooled a little. I think her family thought the dementia was worsening. I felt bad, that lady used to make the greatest pudding -- you'd think Herodotus himself had handed down the recipe. Must've been... 60 years ago now, down the lower east side. I told her "wine-soaked figs" and winked. Then she said something about a monkey with a broom and laughed. The family didn't listen to a word. I suppose they thought crazy grams had found a crazy friend. And I suppose they would be right.

Happy now, Heph?

Well Hephestus has gone and gotten me one of these blog doodads. He insists we all transfer our writings to a digital format. He says it'll make searching easier, so that in 300 years when Dionysus and Hermes have a fight about who broke whose 8-track player, we will more easily be able to go back and settle this matter.

Hopefully without it coming to a duel this time. Yes, I am looking at you two. Fucking babies. I am done sewing your hands back on. Next time I'm putting them on backwards. You can get Xipe to undo it. He'll like that.

Still no sign of Artemis. I wonder if she googles herself. Why do I doubt that...

Half of me hopes she is dead. Hope for the rest of us. Or some of us, maybe.

See, Heph? This is why I preferred pen and paper. Well if we're dreaming I still wish tapestry would come back. I had high hopes for this knitting trend, but alas, I don't see it leading that direction. Anyways I didn't have to worry about you all reading about how I wish you were dead. Don't get me wrong, I'm no Apollo about it... but have any of us managed to fall off the radar as long as she has?

...I wonder if she's still a virgin...

and with that my honey wine is wearing off and I shall most likely figure out how to delete this in the morning.