i could never be persephone
linda m. crate
sing me a song
where pomegranates
don't tear daughters from their mothers
where gods
don't kidnap relatives
to make me their brides
i could never be persephone
because i would've
told hades where he could go
but i suppose that wouldn't work
since it's also his name,
but i wouldn't have accepted his pomegranates
even if i wanted to get away
from my overbearing mother;
i would've found another way
because i am not the sort of girl
you can disrespect
a daughter of the moon and sun
i don't fit boxes, pedestals, or snares
don't want anyone's fruit to take me from my heaven
no one will steal away my divinity
Cauldron Anthology
33