Hymn to Apollo

Rebecca Herrera

When was the last time you were approached? 
Phoebus Apollo, leader of the muses,  
Do you still adorn your golden throne, strumming  
the lyre Hermes crafted for you from hollow shell and silk strings?
Are you still crowned in laurels, with your magnificent bow in hand?
Do you still cry over him? I have seen you before, from the corner of my eye, 
Hoisting the sun in your horse-drawn chariot 
I’ve seen you in the poems clasped in my hands, 
in the violins, in the tea leaves.

I think my ancestors knelt at your feet, before 
they rode black ships over the Atlantic,  
before the limestone caves, before the earth
mounds. Your temple was painted then– wasn’t it?  
Saffron spice embellished the columns, the walls, 
Tyrian snails crushed and dyed the linen sheets draped over you
I was someone else then, burning frankincense at the altar 
Divine healer, how could I sing of you,  
you, clear-voiced and silver flowing out your mouth?  

A thousand and a thousand years, and you 
live inside the cracks of the Earth, beneath the soundless, 
deathless ocean, gold fading at the ends of your fingers,
Son of Leto, haven’t you heard?  
we’ve found ourselves mortal again,  
I’m sure you don’t recognize the glass windows, the  
Subway lines, or how we’ve tamed your father’s lightning, 
but don’t you remember me? I was someone else then, 
And how could I have forgotten– you, my archer,  
you are also the god of medicine and healing,  

How then, can I sing of you? 

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Rebecca Herrera is a Salvadoran-American born and raised in New York. She earned her undergraduate degree in Art History and Museum Professions at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She usually spends her time playing animal crossing. You can find her on Instagram: @strawberry.img

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