Mind Your Inspiration
Be careful when you choose your muse,
for she may be a siren.
A muse takes words and works of praise
as offerings to flatter.
A siren is sustained by lauds
and demands them ever after.
A muse will smile, benign and sweet,
at your attempts to woo her.
A siren's smile drips with bloody glee
at the sacrifice you've left her.
Muses fade; they come and go
and the artist's laments are one-sided.
The muse may not even know he's gone,
her life not requiring excitement.
Sirens don't allow for leaving,
Their call may turn from sweet to shriek.
And when the artist dreams of fleeing,
at best he'll shipwreck at her feet.
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Author's Note
I think the muse versus siren debate is one that, fair or not, takes place often - both in abstract character type discussions, but also about women in our walking, waking world. The latter intrigues and amuses me (no pun intended), so here's a not-too-serious bit on it. A second, better take, to follow.
Other stories by Emily Sparkles
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Just to say that I'd seperate the last 8 lines so they appear like the lines before:
Muses fade; they come and go
and the artist's laments are one-sided.
The muse may not even know he's gone,
her life not requiring excitement.
Sirens don't allow for leaving,
Their call may turn from sweet to shriek.
And when the artist dreams of fleeing,
at best he'll shipwreck at her feet.
That sort of feedback is precisely what I love about this community. Thank you.
No prob. It's good when you get suggestions that you agree with.
I've taken on quite a few myself.
I like how you present the comparison. I wonder if for many of us the muse and siren personalities aren't merged, and show one or the other side of their temperament willy nilly or depending on our own mood. *
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Mathew, I've reflected on your words and I find myself agreeing completely. Well put!
Thank you, Le and James for the **
"Sirens don't allow for leaving,
Their call may turn from sweet to shriek."
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Thank you, Rachna!
One writer's Eve is another's Lilith... choose carefully, pilgrim.
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