Author’s note: “Few literary characters have achieved the infamy of Helen of Troy; she is a character we’re all familiar with, even if she gets relatively short shrift in the stories. She both is and isn’t a villain, a victim, or pawn. The form of a cleave poem allows her to be all at once and say what she means to say—and possibly even something she didn’t.”
Everett Roberts is a poet, technical writer, editor, and former UN Sanctions Violations Investigator living in Washington, DC. His work has appeared in The Write Launch, Beyond Words, and Oberon poetry magazine, where he won the 2021 Herbert Poetry Prize for his poem “John the Baptist.”
This poem is from the Delmarva Review’s fifteenth annual edition. The literary journal, based in Talbot County, Maryland, has featured the new writing of more than 500 authors worldwide. Almost half are from the Chesapeake and Delmarva region. The journal is available in paperback and digital editions from Amazon.com and other major booksellers. Support comes from tax-deductible contributions and a grant from Talbot Arts with funds from the Maryland State Arts Council. Website: www.DelmarvaReview.org
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