Author Archives: Theodora Goss

Nymphs Finding the Head of Orpheus by Theodora Goss The water has a dim and glassy hue. A mass of airy bubbles clings to curls that tumble through the river-bottom’s marls, and cypresses hang heavy with their woe. Our hair-tips … Continue reading →

Autumn, the Fool by Theodora Goss The leaves float on the water like patches of motley. Autumn, the fool, has dropped them into the lake, where they rival the costume, not of the staid brown duck, but the splendid drake. … Continue reading →

The Witch’s Cat by Theodora Goss A witch’s cat isn’t always black. Mine is an elegant tortoiseshell. She refuses to come when I call to her, but as soon as I start reciting a spell, she’ll appear at the top … Continue reading →

The Witch’s Warning by Theodora Goss This ground is cursed.  I would leave it, if I were a man, as you are: leave the moss-overgrown stones that bound the estate, leave the damp of the hollow, leave the hill where … Continue reading →

To a Friend I Have Not Seen for a Long Time by Theodora Goss What are the clouds doing where you are? Are they building castles high in the blue dome we call the sky? Are they forming themselves into … Continue reading →

The Crabs by Theodora Goss Under the water the crabs, in their camouflage, crawl sideways suddenly, silently, startlingly, over the ocean floor, segmented, carapaced, each individually dancing its mute ballet, like a clawed metaphor. (The painting is Velvet Crab by … Continue reading →

The Ruined Cathedral by Theodora Goss Gray monks have wandered here, chanting their canticles, great kings have walked beneath these archways of wrought stone, and holy ladies read windows of parables, and late into the night, possessing all alone the … Continue reading →