Jade Bagnall's untitled poem speaks directly to Hercules, the legendary strongman, and tells him his time as a hero is over. The speaker doesn't believe in the image he projects. She suggests he is "controlled by the mirror," more concerned with how he looks and how he is seen than with who he really is. His fame, she implies, is a weakness rather than a strength.
The armor is the poem's main image. It protects him on the surface, but it rusts "at the edges when you do wrong," as if his bad choices wear down his shiny reputation. The final lines offer a surprising piece of advice: take the armor off, because fighting is easier when you're "only lifting cloth." Real strength, the speaker seems to say, comes from dropping the performance.
The tone is blunt, challenging and a little mocking, but there is also a hint of encouragement. She wants him to fall so he can fight honestly.