A poem discussing the eunuch who served Alexander the Great.
I stand alone, watching
the young girls and boys.
They shamelessly gossip
about my duties.
If only they knew.
I was taken against my will—
sold and bought, sold and bought.
My beauty, far beyond other youths’,
became a curse.
King Darius III took me from this cycle.
I serve the harem quietly
but the evening always
Takes an envious turn.
Brought to the king’s chambers,
as a toy for the bed.
Everyone thought it a blessing
to hold Darius’ favor.
None thought it a trap.
But I felt as if in a prison.
Betrayal comes in many forms.
That of my master came,
disguised as an offering.
Given to the great Alexander:
a servant til death.
Treated as a precious lover.
I watch the traveling gazes
of those who wish me ill.
Regret weighs heavier
than the burden of an empire
The things I’ve done unknowingly.
Or so I’ve been told.
I separated a great friendship,
took a woman’s husband,
and distracted a conqueror.
But only I know what I’ve done.
In my time, I was known
as one of his
greatest loves.
But historians chose,
a different path than kings.
Slowly, piece by piece,
I was erased from
Alexander’s narrative.
But I am not gone.
Artists are piecing me together.