Susan Hawthorne #178 Rapunzel and Persephone

Rapunzel and Persephone go out for coffee

after the consciousness raising group

Rapunzel says  

                                    I'd heard your story

on the news abduction rape and imprisonment

but until we met I didn't connect it to mine

everyone had told me that my mother

was a wicked witch   I hadn't realised

the lie that contained   a lie about women

who try to protect their daughters   she

went too far locking me up but in the end 
was not so different from Demeter  

                                    Persephone sits nodding

I didn't know I was being abducted   uncle

Hades was such a charmer    he gave me presents

said we could travel the world   little did I know

that he meant the underworld    his dark hovel

I was relieved when my mother arrived

but even then against her orders I had

another red wine and pomegranate seeds

she was shaking her head saying No don't

                      and your prince? asks Persephone

Rapunzel pauses a moment looks her in the eye

after your story I'm not falling for that

he too has offered gifts and travel

and a kingdom   I'm going to build a tower

of my own keep watch and take myself

off on my own travels   want to join me?