Deep in the earth, I walk in a tunnel,
I cannot live only in the sunshine;
the sound of faraway water, or is it a cello playing,
a woman weeping?
Persephone, forced to spend
half of each year down in the darkness;
in those cold times
her mother Demeter searched and wept,
searched and wept.
Tunnel divides, I go left,
through an arched doorway;
stairs lead downward, light dims,
soft shadows gather;
here a niche in the wall:
Blue Willow teacup, doll size,
drawing of a fairy,
letter from my cousin Lynelle.
More stairs, now I feel the cello, the shadows
in my blood, my bones,
they must be honored;
down here, rooms I never enter,
I know enough already;
I stand outside each door
and weep.
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Very moving, especially the imagery and the repetition of the phrase ‘searched and wept.’
Kate, thank you for your support and kind words. I always hope to evoke emotion in the reader, so I’m glad to hear when I succeeded.
For me, Willow, this is another exploration of self, moving in the caverns of the mind and in the depths of feeling and perhaps i’m wrong but i see a parallel with Eurydice. Yes, there is sadness here, too, but it’s tempered by a quiet strength.
Yes, I can see Eurydice, too. These old myths are so powerful–I’m sure Jung was right, that they live on in our psyches as archetypes. Thanks for your always insightful comments, John.
Beautiful and haunting. We all have rooms we never enter deep inside.
Thank you, Annie, for visiting my blog and especially for your comment.
Love the feeling evoked…emotional, venturing into the darkness, descending into the deepest recesses of self…and I love Greek mythology, so thank you!
Lorien, thank you so much.Sometimes mythological figures or settings add the depth or complexity I’m trying for.
I like the details of what you see in the tunnel – many lovely works. For some reason your account prefers me to comment from my other set of blogs, so I hope this comment gets through.
Thanks for your kind words; they’re much appreciated.