Before I was Mint by Abigail Griffin
Persephone enters my world the way
Lightning strikes dry Earth:
Discordant, Unwelcoming, Jarring.
Her eyes, honey poured over
Daisy petals, find his
Beneath dewdrop lashes in a
Mimicry of coyness.
She grew up in meadows
Nurtured by flower nymphs and
He is infatuated with the way she views the world
As something beautiful,
Still.
We are not like that.
We are not like her.
He must understand this, because it is
My bed he falls into when her
Sloping edges prove too slippery for his
Serrated fingertips, and he slips right off the side.
I never turn My King away.
He has a way of painting everything golden, if
Only for an hour, and it is not my
Right, regardless.
I, a nymph born in River Cocytus.
I, a nymph born in the River of Wailing.
My silhouette is rough and staccato, so that
I might fit all his saw-toothed pieces like
A jigsaw made of flesh and bone.
The closest I will ever get to springtime is
His hands on my hips, and the way he
Talks to me when the lights are off. It is warm.
Persephone does not need his warmth, but
She is a greedy creature and
I am not a god. O how much easier
Life would be if I was.
Her honey-daisy eyes sparkle as she
Swallows those six seeds down without chewing.
I know without asking
He will not be returning to my bed.
It is a cold day in Hades when she
Twists my bones into sinewy vines, my
Lungs into pleated leaves, and my
Heart into a cluster of dirty roots.
I exit their world the way
Souls exit fleshly bodies:
Voiceless, Discarnate, Forlorn.
Persephone plants my husk in her herb garden, beside berries.
I never thought my burial would
Smell of mint and lemon poppy seed.
About the Writer...
Abbey Griffin likes reading during thunderstorms and iced chai lattes. She prefers fantasy to realistic fiction. Her favorite author is Terry Pratchett, and when she isn't writing she can be found binging fashion reality shows.
About the Artist...
Mary Lefleur is a student at Savannah Arts Academy. She was self taught until freshman year, and has always enjoyed doing art. She hopes to one day combine her artistic talents with her passion for STEM.