The Wordsmith's Forge

This is the freebie for the April 2, 2013 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from serpentine. It also fills the #5 Autograph slot in the Vellum list for the rainbowfic  fest.  Read more about the patronage of Athens and Athenian democracy.


"The Lady of Athens"


The people of a nameless place
beseeched the Olympians for a patron.

"I will go and take care of this city,"
said Athena and Poseidon
at the very same time.
They glared at each other.

"You will both go," said Zeus,
"and show the mortals what you can do.
It is their decision which of you
to claim as their patron."

Poseidon called on his magic
and brought forth a saltwater spring
which was excellent for trading but not for drinking.

Athena called on her magic
and brought forth a domesticated olive tree
with valuable fruit and oil and wood.

"That is very impressive,"
said the people of the nameless place
as they gathered around the olive tree.

"Wait!" exclaimed Poseidon.
"I have another gift.
I will teach you martial magic and
create the greatest navy the world has known."

Athena smiled and said,
"I, too, have another gift.
I will teach you communal magic and
create the first democracy the world has known."

"With a navy," Poseidon said,
"your leader will be the most powerful man
and you can accomplish anything you want in battle."

"With a democracy," Athena said,
"your people will be the most powerful city-state
and you can accomplish anything at all  you want."

Then the people chose Athena as their patron
and named their city Athens.
Athena helped them draft articles of democracy
and fixed Her autograph to the scroll
in letters of gold.

Athens became a seat
of agriculture and government --
and since Poseidon could not take back his gifts,
also a formidable sea power.

The magic of democracy grew
as slowly and surely as olive trees,
sometimes torn apart by savage storms,
but always regrowing
under Athena's mindful care.

Now Indiana wants to pass a rape-flavored anti-abortion bill.  They're not satisfied with one transvaginal probe against a woman's will; they want two.  Just in case women thought they had any right to decide what happens to their vagina.  No, that's somebody else's decision.

You know what?  "If you don't let someone stick a probe in your vagina, you don't get medical care" is the same kind of force as "If you don't fuck me, I'll fire you from your job."  It's all about forcing people to do something they don't want, because they don't have the power to stop it.

Fuck.  That.  Noise.

Here's a return of attacks on internet privacy.

Wow, she says all the stuff I've been saying, in a place that's a lot harder to ignore.

So this school board wants to claim it owns copyright on what students and faculty create, even outside of school.  Let's hear a rousing a chorus of "fuck that noise," "homework boycott," and oh yes, "BIG FAT LAWSUIT."

Hillary Clinton demonstrates.

I admit that one reason I'd like to see her in the White House is so she could do this to other dickhead world leaders that I've been wishing someone would do this too for years.  Because pretending that they are rational and worth listening to clearly is not working, so we should try something else.

 President Obama upholds community as an American value.  It's nice to see someone supporting that instead of "devil take the hindmost."

 ... is fiction.  Let's keep it that way.  Because letting people who like the idea of apocalypse get into positions of power just never goes anywhere good.

 primeideal has posted another poem, "All Politics Is Local."  It crosses Schrodinger's Heroes with @MayorEmanuel.  Politics and science mix ... strangely.