[Author’s Note: Anat, also known as Anatu and Anath, is the ancient Canaanite Goddess of hunting and warfare. Her worship spread throughout the Levant, north into Anatolia, and south into Egypt. She is often associated with her brother, who is usually addressed as Ba’al (“lord”).]
I
pure one: she readies herself
for her lord, bathing
in dew and sweet ambergris
II
virgin-warrior, she takes the
seven heads of the
serpent, lord of ancient seas
III
in her tantrum she
pulls his gray
beard: amused, he laughs
IV
like a leopard cub
she is: swift
fearless and sharp-toothed
V
she makes a skirt of
their hands, a
necklace of their tongues
[Written by Rebecca Buchanan.]
