Wife Of Prometheus Poem by Stephen Roxborough

she was a heavy writer
everyone of significance agreed
even weighty critics raved on

'passionately massive'
'astonishingly substantial'
'unforgettably impressive'

everything she wrote was heavy
her grocery list weighed 10 pounds
on dark days the laptop bruised her thighs

office floorboards and library shelves
were reinforced to hold her words
on book tour she hired a strapping porter

to carry her manuscript eventually
she traded up sent to the himalayas
for a seasoned sherpa she felt a little

colonial especially at sea level
once she tried to write something
giddy and frivolous almost comedic

it made her feel greedy and cheap
as if she sold her soul to tabloid gods
for her it was heavy or nothing

woe made her day gave her a lift
helped her count misfortune and
dismiss any lightness of being