Queen Esther's Name Change

They hurled me to the heavens

Hello, Beloveds! Poet Jesus here. As we journey though the voices of biblical women this summer, we’ll make our final Old Testament stop at Esther. Summarizing the whole of her story here would detract from the poem itself, but let’s just say she was a beautiful, intelligent, orphaned Jewish badass who saved her people from annihilation. Crack open your dusty Bible (I have counted the motes) to learn more.

One piece of background info you do need: Her original Hebrew name, Hadassah, means “myrtle.” Once she was chosen by king Xerxes from his lineup of ladies (barf), she married him and found herself wandering the palace with the new name of Esther: “star.”

Okay, Esther. We’re listening.

Myrtle flowers DO look like stars, don’t they? Image: Solfaroli Renzo from Pixabay

Queen Esther’s Name Change

—Hadassah (Myrtle) to Esther (Star)

With one word they have hurled me
to the heavens. I cannot believe

in these creatures that flicker to their deaths
each morning like the palace lamps.

Better the myrtles I used to visit
as an orphan. I thought I too had rooted

in the ground. I tucked the glossy leaves
in the folds of my dress, let the sweet oil

ooze between my fingers.
Now the eunuchs swarm like locusts.

They line my eyes with kohl,
drizzle cold perfume on my neck.

Better the fragrant myrtle petals
I used to shake into my hair,

the fine soil dusting my skin
as I napped beneath the branches.

At night, I hear nothing but chatter
about the king. The concubines slink around

the chamber, admiring the shiny edges
of their bodies. I stare into the sky, where starlight

bursts like the stamens of myrtle flowers,
calling me to be beautiful and lonely again.

First appeared in A Thousand Vessels. Don’t flip any tables over the Amazon link. The original publisher is no longer active.