Nyx knows that she is feared
Zeus himself cautions others not to upset her,
lest she encompass the world in rage
he declares to the world that she could bring about their
demise

she is night
darkness
and what is darkness without light?
oppressive, everlasting, enfolding victims in a smothering embrace
all fear the all-powerful Night
this is who she is

melancholy, she waits,
her reluctant heartbeat a drum, counting down the
seconds minutes days months years centuries
she spends Alone
primordial, pristine, primitive

shadowy Nyx, with a supernova heart
fearsome Nyx, who dictates men and gods alike
evil, treacherous Nyx, revered by the deceitful:
the liars, the thieves, the murderers
they pull her cloak over their heads,
make away like cats in the twilight

nothing exists without Light to prove it does
(why am I here am I real do I matter she wonders)
Night swallows all that is good,
stifles the growth of every damned creature on earth,
a heavy, velvet carpet choking out the vermillion sun

Night, the suffocating
Night, the murderous
this is who she is

but Night smothers the bad, too
provides a roof for humanity to cry under,
to escape to when the sunbeams are too bright for their fragile eyes and
a ledge from which to scream frustrations off and
a blanket under which they whisper their prayers and
a tiny speck of hope for those in need and
a safe haven

her skin: black, shiny, like the wings of a raven
smooth like obsidian
luminous freckles dot the space across her nose
and down the length of her body
constellations tattoo themselves onto her,
urging her to remember where she is from
born from the sky,
Daughter of Chaos
the moon resides in her mind

Zeus fears the power she carries,
she knows that now
frightening and glorious,
no longer shameful of her past
Sleep / Death / Darkness have known her love,
the tender ache of a Mother’s affection
but why must she also nurture the seasons to be respected?
she is a woman – no, Goddess – of infinite capabilities
look towards the moon, and look a little further
there she waits, surrounded by eons worth of stars
not as alone as she once thought

Night, the revered
Night, the courageous
Night, the hopeful

“this is who I am,” Nyx says.