Dearest Orpheus, by Dorene Shankaran

Orpheus and Eurydice modeled ca. 1887, carved 1893 Auguste Rodin

Dearest Orpheus,

I recall the day my mortal body collapsed beneath me, the ever-present glow fading as shock and horror descended upon the meadow. The whispered slither of green-scaled innocence echoed softly as you lay strewn across my form, tears incessant. Your grief evolved into anguish and it became all encompassing. It cloaked the forest, choked precious fauna and sought to extinguish the happiness delicately stoked by those who had attempted to thrive in light of your uncertainty and disdain. To be revived into a world

loss. To have loved you was a gift I embraced with my Death does not mean the end of life but the

My once greatest love, I will spare you the heartache and the torment I endured in having our threads torn from one another. To depart the mortal world in an untimely fashion was a difficult thing to navigate. Yet, I quickly learnt that death does not deprive one of the feelings we believe to be pivotal to living. The afterlife beckoned a curious adventure, one that distracted me with exhilaration and freedom while the hope of being reunited with you ebbed quietly in the background.

The night I saw you in the courtyard with the promise of everything we had once so boldly dreamt of didn’t appease me. I scarcely thought of our reunion and once confronted with it I stood before you surprised yet unfeeling. This promise of a life that could have been was reminiscent of a dream that escaped me long ago. I know your intentions were pure but you cannot capture a bird and release her where you can be entranced by her melody and iridescent wings. The bird’s melody will soon wane and in her presence trees will wilt, rivers will slow and the sun will no longer shine with warmth. You know this better than anyone. Yet, you were driven to bring me back to the world of living with you without regard for how my wings have grown or how my feathers gleamed As we approached the surface, I was filled with that I had bid my farewell to seemed unfair. To be revived into a world at the expectation of an old lover was absurd. Fortunately, Fate had it be that you would turn around to seek reassurance of my presence. To be honest Orpheus, that moment you weave religiously with anguish was a blessing from the gods. As your hand fell from mine and your head turned back, I welcomed the gentle call of home as the silence of your promise slipped softly back into the dark.

being. Now, I nurture a curious existence frolicking in Elysium, where paradise beckons my most hidden thoughts and yearnings to unfurl their wings. I promise you the essence of life does not guarantee happiness, merely the illusion that it is finite and must be grasped firmly in both hands. Here amongst the dead my desires soar with glee, my existence as vibrant as when my heart pulsed erratically in your presence, as when my breath caught at the gentle caress of your melodies. differently.

passing of who I once was.

Orpheus, what we once nurtured is now a treasured relic of the past. You will waste away should you continue to breathe life into what no longer is, who I no longer am. To lament in the grief of what has been is a sorry excuse for the gift that flows through your touch. The Earth and all her blessed souls would bask in dismay if it weren’t for the allure of your lyre. To deprive them again would be unforgivable.

Lay my memory to rest, Orpheus.

Once yours, Eurydice