Six months of darkness –
six months of light –
six months on the starless riverbank,
six months of throbbing music,
hip pressed to hip. Six months of black coffee,
too much vodka, and the smoky flavour
of his tongue in your mouth;
Six months in a green garden.
Six months of power, queening it
Over all those fluttering, frail souls.
Six months of daughtering.
Eat the seeds, Persephone. Eat the seeds.
I’m hosting at dVerse tonight and we are looking at the Persephone myth. Check it out!
Sarah writes poems 
It sounds like a rough deal for Persephone:
‘too much vodka, and the smoky flavour
of his tongue in your mouth;’
Shudder! Who could blame her for eating the seeds? It’s a really emotionally-charged prompt Sarah, thank you.
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If she is willing and of legal age, more power to her!
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This is absolutely exquisite! The passion, the shades of longing for the ground above, the vengeance, the tears and unmistakable hues of seasons are so skillfully woven here. Just love this, Sarah! ❤️❤️
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Very powerful. I love those ending lines–like Do it, do it!
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So haunting and chilling–almost viewing the best of both worlds with six months of the spring (mother) and six months of the winter (Hades). I too liked the ending lines–a gentle push or shove for Persephone to indulge in her dark desires.
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I love, love, love this one! So clever.
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Aw, thank you.
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Wonderful imagery!
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Six and six sounds pretty good sometimes! Yes! Eat the seeds 👍☺️
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Wonderful! I love it!
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I can feel the drama in your poem Sarah…. The dichotomy of it all is mesmerizing!
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left me wanting more. thanks for sharing
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You know, this actually made me think about how jarring it must have been to go back and forth like that every year… such a beautiful write, Sarah!
❤
David
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You bring alive how life must have been for her! Excellent write.
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Lovely prompt, Sarah. The part about Hades being her uncle and all, that didn’t sit well with me, but that is not your fault. I loved the prompt. Loved knowing about this maiden who for sure, her outgoing mother tried to mold into being someone like her. Nothing wrong with that really, but Persephone is introverted. I know. (hehe; wrote me a whole sonnet to prove it.)
Love the prompt, keep them coming. I like to play (even when I have no time for word games) Be well, Sarah, Thanks for sharing, I wish you miracles.
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I’m left with the impression that she’d rather queen it over the dead than go back to Mother. It’s ambiguous, and I like that. Especially the last line.
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I love the balancing here of earth energies — waxing, waning, growing, dying, above, under, all in a hip groove. ‘Tis perfect. (It’s been interesting to see Lammas poems at earthweal from the northern hemisphere with Candlemas poems from South Africa and Australia — the planetary balance decrees that somewhere one or the other is working.)
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Loved it, but I say spit those seeds out!
six months of heat, six months of blight, six months of fearing the next six months of night
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Six months of daughtering! Haha, that got me.
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Oh I love this! Such a great rhythm, and those final lines are brilliant!
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You’ve described the plight so well. Eat the seeds! Yes, please….who can blame you?
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Wow, love it! So evocative 💕
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