On occasion, every century or so,
Usually in the summer,
Venus would assume human form and marry a mortal.
The other gods would clutch their stomachs
And pee themselves laughing.
While she never meant the mortal harm,
Jupiter’s dice didn’t care either way.
They would fall as they pleased,
Regal and free.
Enjoying the outcome regardless,
Drunk with power.
But something occurred the dice did not consider.
The mortal found that while he loved Venus
And wanted to be with her
He was confused as to his truest feelings.
This shocked the gods and sent Venus into a spiral of doubt
Lasting many years.
Suddenly one autumn, as if waking from a strange dream,
Venus remembered that all the others in her wake
Had always succumbed eventually
And this nervy mortal would be no different.
In fact, all she had ever had to do was shun him
While posing the slightest suggestion
Of another vying for her love.
Of course everything immediately changed then.
Ah, men.
So it was in the darkening autumn,
Just beyond the swaying trees
With a passion upon him now bordering on obsession,
Her hapless husband could faintly hear
The laughter of the dice and the gods
And felt mocked and besieged.
Most his waking hours were spent wondering
If such rivers of pleasure
Were worth such oceans of pain.
Sleep filled with trampling horses,
A puppet strung up by forces he could not comprehend,
The dizzy mortal often considered his own end,
Teetering on the edge of insanity.
What would she do if I did such a thing?
If I daggered my heart?
Would she weep if I died?
There was no answer but gravity
And the faraway voice of Jupiter.
“If it can fall, it will.”
Many years passed in this manner and yet somehow,
The marriage continued on.
For no matter what the cost,
There was nothing remotely to compare
With the love of Venus or the children made from it.
Indeed, he must have wondered every day why she had even elected
To marry him in the first place, let alone stay with him
Through such a relatively narrow and tiny existence.
True, through the centuries,
The men she chose to enchant and ensnare
Had most certainly paid for it.
But when the grey departed and the clear blue returned,
The silly mortal stood on the wall
Gazing upon his beautiful wife and said,
“Yes, I would happily give her my entire life again
And again and again and again.
She is Venus, after all.”
credits
from LOSTANDFOUND,
released March 28, 2022
Keys - Stephen Bard
Guitar - Joe Pascarell
Drums - Chris Pascarell
Bass - Ryan Ball
Voice - Rebecca Ng
Recorded & Engineered by Ryan Ball at The Gearbox.
Breezy, lush R&B perfect for warm weather, inspired by Afro-Indigenous artist Clara Kent's heritage, culture, and personal journey. Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 6, 2023
