Lithium | Ela Harrison
third element of the Periodic Table; adjectival derivative of Greek lithos (rock); “made of rock”
Sisyphus with his 
rock knows
about same. Same rock. Same
journey forcing him into
same self. And now I too
have my daily rock
pushing me up against
a samer self.
What did you lose, Sisyphus?
Myself, I first lost the sense
of myself as lit fuse
stepping on detonators;
my old nickname, “Volcano.”
You lost far more than the yen
to rustle cattle. I’m sure of it.
…
Ela Harrison is a scholar of classical languages and literatures, and of linguistics and philology, as well as being a translator and editor, writer and researcher. Her writing has appeared in Cirque Journal and F Magazine, and her poem “Legion” was runner-up in the Fairbanks Arts Association’s 2012 poetry competition.