Persephone Printemps
accidental heart
Solar eclipse in Aries, ice storms teetering into April...
a winter that won't let go,
spring that teases from marshy ditches along the highway,
frozen over once more. She lets out a
stutter
gasp
claw
from beneath the surface,
fingers blue, nails manicured pink
a purple twilight.
Her name is Persephone Printemps and she has
an accidental Ice Queen heart,
jerking
from one mood to the next.
The swans have already had their babies,
You and I,
we saw them this morning,
wandering in a skeleton wheat field in the conservation area
near a stream that came from the pond,
Mama and Papa
and all the fluffy little heads that bob around them
almost invisible between the muddy half-stems.
Anonymous Participant in a local
concerned citizens
Facebook group asks about tips to stay warm during a
power outage.
She is worried about her children.
Concerned citizens 'laugh' react,
their names comment, "now imagine this feeling, homeless."
Others tell her, "Bundle up."
Rain turns to ice against my apartment window screen.
The Weather Network calls for red-coded storms into the
wee hours of tomorrow's Ontario morning.
Persephone Printemps cries and cries,
claws and claws,
reaches out and protects
in the cup of her palms
Mama and Papa
and all the fluffy little heads that bob around them.
A small light in the reflection of the pond
winks promises of a nearby hovel, a
temporary ribcage home in the
night.
Persephone Printemps lends her sunfire skin to the moon
and asks his man to keep safe every creature he looks upon
until she is able to crack open and part the ice.
About the Creator
sleepy drafts
a sleepy writer named em :)
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
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Violence Begets
"Any last words, cowboy?" "None you'd understand, sodbuster." "Funny. That's Marshall Sodbuster to you. But I meant some last nugget that would help us in the adjudication of the myriad offenses counted against you and your gang. I wasn't asking for penitence."
By Adam Diehl2 days ago in Fiction
Comments (37)
"Thanks for sharing!"
Don't know how I missed this, so evocative, threading the real and the ethereal, Facebook groups and ribcage hovels. Great work ππ»π
π Congrats on your Top Story! π°β¨ Super proud of youβso well deserved! πͺπ Keep shining! ππ
Amazing imagery. I've seen Ontario Junes with flurries... love this- great job! πβ€οΈπ
Brilliantly written!!! Congratulations on Top Story and the Leaderboard win!!!β€οΈβ€οΈ
Beautiful work! Congrats on the top story!
Wooohooooo congratulations on your Leaderboard placement! ππππππ
Oh, my goodness, this poem is beautiful! Everything from the title to the closing line kept my eyes glued to the screen. Congratulations on your top story. Shouting out this line: "a temporary ribcage in the home of night." πππΉ
Absolutely stunning! What inspired you to come to with that name? It's so perfect. Sounds like it was always meant to be said that way. Persephone Printemps. Congratulations on a gorgeous top story!
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! ππππππ
Very well written, congrats π
Gorgeous writing!! It felt like I was reading a classical 1920s nature poem with an electrical current of satire and fear crackling through it. Very clever and edgily moving.
Absolutely beautiful! Congratulations, and a very much deserved TS. Stunning, tender imagery against cruel early spring weather.
Loving the vivid nature and seasonal imagery this paints - and a great story thrown in the mix too. So much skill!
This deserves a New York Times Award
Fucking beautiful work
beutyful
θ°’θ°’εδΊ«
So lovely you deserve Top Story β¦οΈβ¦οΈβ¦οΈ
What a beautiful collection of emotion tied together with nature to create the perfect scene. Itβs breathtaking. Like a childhood memory β€οΈ
β¦ and congratulations on the TS
Omg, I knew this would make Top Story!! Congratulations!
The poetry on this poem β€οΈ Congratulations on the TS~ π
Just perfect π Um The end.
Such stunning lines and imagery, Em! This is a poem of some epic proportions! Really well done!