Minotaur’s Birth

Minotaur’s Birth,

or, The Labor of Pasiphae

BY DR. AGONSON

A monster grows inside my tender womb;
his horns, not dull, already sprout and pierce.
No fleshy toes are his, but like my groom
—a union by Poseidon made, his fierce,
unstable wrath stoked by my true husband’s
hubristic greed to not return, but love
too much, the earth-shaker’s given omen—
hard hooves for feet possess. He kicks! What of
my passions born by god’s vile judgement,
where has desire flown? O Daedale,
your craft, why can’t it be quite innocent?
What good comes from your intellect this day?
The pangs of birth have like a wave rocked me,
sweeping the unwary far out to sea.

26 Comments

  1. Pingback: Sonnet: Minotaur’s Birth – Tale Told

    1. Thank you. I wrote it after retelling the myth of the Minotaur and Theseus to my young cousin. I had to edit out the overly sexual parts of the story, and started thinking about Pasiphae.

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  6. Ah… my Greek heart is very happy to read that mythological sonnet 🙂 intelligent use of words, an almost theatrical touch… echoes of dramatic monologues… Very nicely done 🙂

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  7. I love mythology, especially the story of the Minotaur, and you’ve retold it so well in your sonnet, Sheldon. You’ve made great use of enjambment and a strong final couplet – and I agree with Bjorn – it reminds me of Duffy;s ‘The World’s Wife’.

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  13. “Passion born of god’s Vile judgement,”
    Greek myths always cause me to reflect on the use of power without the presence of empathy. Two innocents, mother and Minotaur, are used as weapons, and by nature are forced into complicity in the world , the last two lines are a powerful and painful delivery, and just like always; more children are going to be killed. What a world.

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