Birth of Venus

Let me tell you the real story:
Venus was not born of the sea –
did not ascend, instantly divine.
It has all been a lie.

Venus did not rise from the sea,
wearing mother of pearl, alongside angels -
rather, she was reborn on a hospital bed.
It has all been a lie.

To clarify:
She rose from a hospital bed,
hooked to monitors and IVs,
body blossoming around a wounded core.

To clarify:
pain transforms you every bit as much
as surgical steel.