In Edmund Spenser's eyes, she was the sweet virgin
Who was called Britomartis, a warrior queen
A take upon the Virgin Queen Elizabeth I of England
But she has existed since the beginning of time
Not just our cultural awareness
Since the beginning of our dance
Between the genders
Men and women
And fluid others
We've longed to know this being
Fierce, Hard, Soft or even Gentle
A wide array of gifts, and traits
That chasm between the mother and warrior
The daughter and the leader
A divine being who was unsullied by desire
But fighting with a holy inner fire
The Greeks and primordial Hellenes
Considered her to be a form of divinity
Worshiped and adored
Similar to, but not the same as Artemis
Goddess of the Hunt
Perhaps the Norse thought of her as Freya
Or the leader of the Valkyr
Who choose from the slain
The warriors for Valhalla
It doesn't matter
For her being was imprinted
Upon each culture's collective brain
The mother defended the cubs
The queen of every domain
Men long for her
Men fear her
But we know she is always near
In our brains, in our hearts
We have celebrated her name
Whatever the culture chooses
She exists
She always has
And always will
