Arnold Bocklin, "The Vestal," 1874
The goddess demands perfect chastity:
Thirty years of dutiful service
Tending the hearth that warms reality
Ritual and sacrificial practice
Prestige and influence are her gifts
Seats for dramatic spectacles and games
No gaze to meet her own ever lifts
The Pontifex Maximus heeds her claims
No hand presumes to defile her pure flesh
Any trespasser seeks a sepulcher
Her mind is cultivated, her thoughts fresh
One day, the goddess will relinquish her
Who will be worthy of this holy bride
Leaving the temple with nothing to hide?
About the Creator
D. J. Reddall
I write because my time is limited and my imagination is not.
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