A Greek Chronicle

Medusa rears her ugly head at me

every once in a while.

Her unruly tresses

hold me imprisoned in their

venomous grip.

A heroic struggle, thus, ensues.

A Greek chronicle in the making.

I am reminded of the checks of your shirt.

Neat little squares that

I adored to no end.

Their uniformity strangely calming,

comforting.

But before my helpless eyes,

they turn into a labyrinth

with treacherous twists and turns

which offer no escape,

no reprieve.

I am reminded of a book

lying in my collection.

A souvenir of old times,

of forgotten love.

Had I remembered

to offer you the keepsake,

would Salinger have held back

your receding steps?

Would the catcher have caught

our fragile love

as it flung itself off

the cliff of rye?

Were I blessed with

Perseus' strength,

I would have taken down Medusa

once and for all.

But as I grapple with

one onslaught after another,

my last thoughts are

of Sisyphus and his boulder

and punishments that last

an eternity.

---

Nishtha Tripathi is a writer is a 22 year old law student from Jodhpur, India. She is an ardent reader and writes, too, every once in a while when thoughts overcome her and spill on to the pages of her journal. She is also a hopeless romantic who has had her fair share of heartbreaks that now serve as her (ever-elusive) muse.