Hades strains up to the surface
Demeter’s garden, where she first spots her
The virgin of eternal spring
Persephone, Demeter’s daughter
A crack beneath her feet did open
Into Hades’s arms, warm and familiar
She looked at her, doe eyes gleaming
In the Underworld, they fell in love
Hades creates a perfect garden
And it becomes their marriage bed
Persephone eats the fruit willingly
Above, Demeter weeps and rages
Demanding justice from Mother Zeus
She begs for Persephone’s return
Hermes delivers the demand
And Hades’s heart fills with concern
Before Zeus came those two lovers
On the other side, Demeter
How her heart broke when she realized
Persephone did not want to see her
“She’s too protective!” cried Persephone
Demeter argues “She’s too naive!”
Hades wisely keeps her mouth shut
As mother and daughter did seethe
“She ate the fruit of Underworld,” says Zeus
Demeter collapsed and began to bawl
Zeus pounded a fist on her throne-arm
“Listen, for my word is law.
Persephone ate six rich fruits
For six months, with Hades, she shall stay.
The other six, I so decree
She must go her mother’s way.”
“Six months is but a blink, my love
Do not fret, and do not fear.”
They still had months to love each other
To the underworld the girls returned
To the winds went Persephone’s mother
Hades was right; it was a blink
That six months did go by
Demeter came to take her daughter
Once she was gone, did Hades cry
And this why we have our seasons
Summer, winter, fall and spring
How should such suffering be born of this story
Of Hades and Persephone’s beautiful thing?