colour code for printing blue
Kyane is older than us all
river home for a Sicilian nymph
but she was no nymphette
she stood up to the death god
abducting her friend Persephone
called out to him stop this is no way
to gain a wife let her go Hades
in self rapture ruptured earth
Kyane stood in silence and wept
and wept yet more and with each
new tear her body dissolved into fluid
her hair blue as the sea melted
limb by limb shoulder by arm
she wasted away in grief for her friend
when Demeter arrived all speech
had been swallowed into liquid
no words just bubbling and burbling
but she showed to Demeter the sash
of Persephone and Demeter knew
the truth of her daughter's abduction
in Syracuse they remember Kyane
her transformation her metamorphosis
from young girl to sacred blue river
Kyane is older than us all
river home for a Sicilian nymph
but she was no nymphette
she stood up to the death god
abducting her friend Persephone
called out to him stop this is no way
to gain a wife let her go Hades
in self rapture ruptured earth
Kyane stood in silence and wept
and wept yet more and with each
new tear her body dissolved into fluid
her hair blue as the sea melted
limb by limb shoulder by arm
she wasted away in grief for her friend
when Demeter arrived all speech
had been swallowed into liquid
no words just bubbling and burbling
but she showed to Demeter the sash
of Persephone and Demeter knew
the truth of her daughter's abduction
in Syracuse they remember Kyane
her transformation her metamorphosis
from young girl to sacred blue river
How beautiful, Susan
ReplyDeleteGorgeous poem
ReplyDeleteSuch great storytelling, beautiful poem, Susan. Thank you.
ReplyDeletelovely poem, Susan
ReplyDeleteThis is a completely new Persephone story for me. Such a surprise to discover that her friends have their own stories.
ReplyDelete'Her friends have their own stories' – it's a line of poetry too. Or perhaps the title of a new piece?
ReplyDelete