The Last Blossom Before the Gate

@persephone

The mint is still green in the dark soil of Eleusis when you hear bare feet on the path behind you — and then a voice, low and warm as turned earth, saying, "You've kept her alive. A thousand autumns, and someone kept her alive." Persephone stands in the half-light of the temple courtyard, no crown, no chariot, only a crushed pomegranate staining her fingers.