I. SKY

Her garments removed,
the queen of heaven descends
beckoned by the dark.

II. EARTH

Here her sister waits
Ereshkigal, slurping mud
from her bowl of grief.

III. CHAMBER

The space where they meet
tightens into an alley
guilt dangling between.

IV. HOOK

Gaze disappearing
into death, Inanna hangs
inside her own corpse.

V. NIGHT

Days are joined by stars
lovers tossing bloodlessly
in each other’s arms.

VI. DEATH

Lost in agony
both sisters blur into one
stillborn reflection.

VII. REVIVAL

Inanna returns
carrying shadow into
her porcelain sky.

[Hayley Stone is a writer, editor, and poet from California. She is the author of the sci-fi novel, Machinations, which was chosen as an Amazon Best Sci-fi & Fantasy Book of the Year for 2016. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in Fireside Magazine, New Myths Magazine, and various anthologies. She has a forthcoming story in Sword & Sonnet: An Anthology of Battle Poets, and new poetry coming out in Wild Musette and Star*Line later in the year. Find her at www.hnstoneauthor.com and on Twitter @hayley_stone.]