as Psyche slumped to the ground,
laughter rang from the forest
as Venus stepped out from among
the shadows to stand triumphant

“foolish girl, i know the thoughts
of mortals in love, this trial
was not about Persephone and
her beauty, it was a test of you”

Venus leaned down and softly
whispered, “and you failed just as i knew that you would, a mortal
who believes she deserves a god”

with that. Venus vanished in a
cloud of pink sparkles, and poor
Psyche lay sleeping on the cold
ground, enspelled by the trick

the gods watched, angry at the
games of Venus, the trials had
all been passed, yet still the
heartbroken woman had lost

Psyche was still, lost in this
magical sleep, and the gods wept
at the injustice, Mercury went
to find Eros to right the wrong

Eros was ignorant to the plight,
nursing the wound of betrayal,
so all consuming was this broken
heart to the fallen god of love

a lethargy had swept over him,
hos every thought of the one in
which he loved that allowed
doubt to spoil their affections

he woke in fits and starts, only
to see the look on Psyche’s face
as the wax burned his shoulder
and agony lanced his heart

days he spent, listless and alone,
seeking a path to redeem the
ache, to quell the suffering of
the immense loss drowning him

he did all that he could to
preserve the sacred adoration,
to nurture the nascent affection,
to show himself minus divinity

but with all the careful planning,
with every ode and whispered
declaration, Eros was powerless
against her poisonous sisters

Eros felt as of he had failed,
not just Psyche, but the world,
what use was a god of love when
love was out of his reach

he had known the jealousy would
be the tool his mother planted
into the hearts of Psyche’s two
sisters, expected it all along

his mother was not just vain at
times, but unbending in her own
belief she stood first among
the gods to the mortals below

Eros thought to spare both Venus
and Psyche from the games of
men and gods alike, only to lose
in the internal battles of the soul

he was shocked at the sudden
appearance of Mercury in his
room, the messenger of the gods
quickly telling Eros of the trials

Eros felt his heart swell, love
eroding the wound, erasing the
doubt, as he learned of what his
love went through for him

grabbing his bow and quiver, Eros
leapt to action, sustained by the
knowledge his love had not been
untrue, the betrayal redeemed

he flew through the sky, his
ivory wings reflecting Helios
in a shimmering expanse of
feathered necessity driving him on

and he found her, curled up on
the cold ground, her beauty as
breathtaking in slumber as the
visions that haunted his dreams

Eros knelt on the soil, placing
his lips upon Psyche’s, her
eyelids fluttered then opened to
see him above her worriedly

a million thoughts raced through
in this moment of reconciliation,
yet simple seemed best, “i love
you” they said as one

Eros swept her into his arms
and they flew to their home, on
the isle of wildflower meadows,
before the pink stone castle

there they spent their evenings
happily, radiantly, in love,
without doubt, without fear, able
to fully give their hearts

soon man forgot the beauty of
Psyche, fleeting is the mind of
mortals, as man began to pray,
once again at the altar of Venus

the wrath of the goddes sated,
she was able to see the joy in
his mischievous eyes, all felt
right in the world once again

Eros ended each evening wishing
his love the sweetest of dreams,
and woke every morning to
remind her of his bottomless devotion

Psyche slept each night in the
embrace of her true love, woke
each morning to feel the glow
of his tender affections

two travelers, seeking more in
a land that knows only how to
take, found something more in
giving away pieces of themselves

and Eros and Psyche lived, and
most importantly, loved one
another to the fullest extent,
among the wildflower meadows

forevermore