the underworld and earth are starting to look awfully similar

it is spring again.
persephone has joined us
up above once more.

the flowers will bloom.
the leaves will return.
the clouds will dance again.

the air will soon become
hot and sticky,
with summer fast approaching.

yet there will come a day,
one not too far away,
where persephone will not go home.

she will stay above ground,
keeping the earth warm.
though it will soon become too much.

we will bind her here.
our actions chaining her to the trees.
not like there are many left to choose from.

the air will remain
hot and sticky.
even though it is january.

hades will soon come too,
mistaking us for his lover.
the heat making her unrecognizable.

hades has no remorse.
and it seems neither do we.
especially for poor persephone.

---

Audrey Coleman is a seventeen-year-old writer hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her work can be seen in The Next Generation, 2021–2022: The National Edition; Middle School and High School Ralph Munn Creative Writing Anthology, 2022; and Voices de la Luna, among others. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading, listening to music, and participating in many extracurricular activities.

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