Among the goddesses
de Annie Finch
Among the Goddesses is a work of narrative, mythic poetry that places abortion in a sacred context. This "epic libretto" traces the harrowing journey of Lily (Lilith) through encounters with seven archetypal goddesses based on a traditional witch's chant: Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, and Inanna. As Lily moves through friendship, loss, rape, and finally a mythic experience of abortion, she discovers her own spiritual strength. Combining rhythmic, narrative, and dramatic vocabularies, Among the Goddesses evokes the communal, oral origins of poetry and the archetypal roots of women's power. The work can be approached in three ways: sung to music, performed as ritual theater, or read in book form as a feminist epic poem.
