Patroclus

By Tabitha Lindstrom

Soft curls flow through my fingers.

Deep laughter reverberates through my ribcage.

Soft hands reassure me that we will return home soon.

I believed him, even while I watched bloodied men return

from green battlefields turned red.

All I desired was to grow old beside him.

Worshiping him is like idolatry. In my perfect world

Gods kneel at Achilles feet.

In the raging war, he is mine to hold

silently praying for safety after our odyssey.

Clashing swords and flying arrows don’t cause me fear

when Achilles is at my side.

My love is a powerful hero with a lack of self-control.

He desires to become part of mythology. A warrior with songs

written then sung in taverns and kingdoms to come.

In his fiery anger, he is impossible to console.

He says he has been wronged by King Agamemnon.

Achilles would rather lose this war than fight by the king's side.

He was too far from this mortal realm to hear my pleas,

begging him to rejoin this fight and end this foolish war.

I donned his helmet, tricking opposing fighters.

Adrenaline flowing until a spear found its mark.

It was too late when Achilles found me,

my body cold and stripped of his armor.

His anguished screams reached me through the veil.

I watched as he held me once more, tears falling down my chest.

All I desired was to grow old beside him.

💕💕💕💕

---

Tabitha Lindstrom (she/her) earned her BA in English / Creative Writing at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. She has had a lifelong love for reading and writing. She has been published in Issue IV of Diamond Gazette, Mania Magazine, 2 Rules of Writing, and Issue 8 of Variety Pack.