Dear friends,
Today is December 21st, the winter solstice. It’s the darkest day of the year and for me, the most beautiful. Yes, there is deep beauty in darkness. There is wisdom there too. I have long associated with Persephone, the queen goddess who is cast into the underworld every autumn. For half the year, she stays underground, only to emerge in the spring bringing her warmth and bounty.
I believe that the underworld can be a place of learning and beauty. If we stop fighting the darkness, it will show us its teachings. P.S. Persephone is a poem I wrote recently from the perspective of my favorite queen goddess. I hope you enjoy it.
Julie
P.S. Persephone
You know my story.
Abducted to the underworld,
offered pomegranate seeds. Yes,
I ate them. What else was I to do?
My mother, in her rage,
made soils barren, skies bleak.
My father tried to bring me back
but I only come spring through fall.
People talk about us.
My parents, my abduction,
me as innocent pawn.
But they forget:
I am the power.
I alone bring Spring.
My return from the dark
brings the fruit.
Truth?
I love going dark and cold.
When I’m there,
I don’t miss the sun.
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