Mari Ness

Ariadne

Only when he told me of
the men who ruled in Athens, of how
they kept their women safe behind
stone walls and rich bronze gates, kept
them safely occupied with weaving and rich wines,
of how the men of Athens would never allow
their women to leap over the bulls
and dance upon labyrinthine floors —
only then did I lean back
and give myself to madness.

Mari Ness has published fiction and poetry in numerous print and online publications, including Clarkesworld Magazine, Apex Magazine, Ideomancer, Goblin Fruit, and Stone Telling. Her experimental novella in poetry, Through Immortal Shadows Singing, is forthcoming soon. She lives in central Florida.