When Mythological Creatures Buy in the San Fernando Valley
by
Katharine VanDewark
Katharine VanDewark
Katharine VanDewark was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and lived a bicoastal life as a child. Moves were regular—every three years—with final settlement in Southern California, where she graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a BFA in painting. She has been a fine art photographer and dancer, and has been writing poetry since the 1980s. She hosts a monthly writing group in her living room and seeks out open mike nights to read her poetry and hear that of others.
Her work has been published in the Poetry in the Garden anthology and in Coracle. She is grateful for the guidance and instruction she received from Regina O'Melveny, Peter Levitt, Jeff McDaniel, Jack Grapes, and Suzanne Lummis.
Hey, Kali, good to see ya, how's it goin', what's happenin'?
So, I'm inviting some of the myths & legends over for a pool party and I hope you can make it.
Who? Well, like Medusa—that GORGON! Her snakes are wicked and I love
how she's always SO pissed off! I want some of that AND her decorator.
You've seen her cavern, right? All those cool statues: people, animals;
where DOES she get them?? They all look so SCARED! Hilarious!
Minotaur's coming. That guy! He's like a bull in a china shop
but what the hey, you guys are my BFFs!
Naw, I'm not inviting the Cyclops gang; they're, like, worse than
Minotaur when it comes to crashing into things, and
there's all my crystal. Or the Harpies—they're WAY too hungry
for my budget, girlfriend. And, hello! Could they bathe OCCASIONALLY, puleeese??
Can they say eau d'cologne?? At least a spritz, but it would take
more than that, trust me! Do they really think the smell of rotting flesh is alluring??
Bring Yama? Absolutely! He's infernally cool! But just between you and
me, don't you think he's just a teense, like, too judgmental??
I mean, I could, like, end up burning eternally if his
martini is too dry or not dry enough. Yikes!
Okay, sweet! See you then girlfriend. And be sure to bring your skull necklace.
There's this fun party game I need it for.
If you loan it to me, I promise not to unleash the deadly whirlpool
while you're doing water ballet with Poseidon in the deep end.
Oh BTW,
loving the shredded skin thing.
Can I use that??
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