Written by Julie Dickson.
You are Hades and I am Persephone.
You were desperate for passion,
And took advantage of my naivety
As I mistook your lust for love.
Sitting in my field of endless flowers and sunshine,
The bright colours painted my dreamworld.
A violent wind blew the petals from their stalks,
Fiery fingertips gouged my shoulders,
You pulled me asunder.
Darkness permeates my body, taking possession.
I never realised I could speak the language of madness.
Surrounded by wilted plants, poisoned at the roots,
You look at me with ferocity in your eyes.
I realise it’s a reflection of my own.
You taunted my hunger with acid pomegranate.
The thick red pulp that ran down my hands
Was never enough to indulge my cravings.
As what I really wanted,
I could never fully have.
For now I will always dance with splinters in my feet,
Every flower I pick will pierce me with its thorns,
My lips will crave the blood acidity of pomegranates.
And my heart will long for the darkness, for the madness,
For you.
Julie’s work appears in the Forward, Retro, Tension, Taboo, Illusion, Harmony, and Epilogue editions of WORDLY Magazine.