and all that was left were crumbling ruins
just like our own.
With each disappointment, my mother’s shoulders
sagged and finally she had to let me
run alongside her on my own.
Once we used to rule everything.
Now there was no refuge anywhere
for old Gods like us, not anymore.
The Last Place Left
Where would you hide
if you were being
pursued by
two of the most powerful Gods?
Where would you hide
if you had already run
through the entire world
and still, still they chased you down?
You would go to the only place
where Gods were not allowed
to enter without invitation.
A place I had been taught to fear.
As my mother stood at
the mouth of the Underworld,
I buried my head
into her chest in fright.
But she was determined,
and she entered the obscure cave,
her feet careful over the rocks
that surrounded the riverbed.
I could hear the running water
