To Persephone

The season brings such great delight to me

She calls my soul to joys left sleeping long

Since Autumn’s quiet reign began. My love

Had passed to other ‘spheres, to shine her touch,

Her smooth caress, upon those in her care.

For too far long had I waited on the

Asexual red Fall, in its rumpled

Flannel plaid and pumpkin-grooved face. My heart

Has been too long encaged by frigid hands

Of the hard-eyed old miser coot in chill

And stark white plains of Winter-wool brought down

Upon the land. Virgin young Spring has come

All draped in flowered silk and patterned shawl

To smile and chuckle in polite amusement.

But when the sun goes down, her cold untouched

March shoulder turns on me and pimples with

Small geese my skin. My lady she is not.

My Summer-time girl has strawberry blonde

Long waist-length hair. Her skin is fair to tan,

Depending on how long she’s stayed. Her touch,

Like hot oil on my skin, flows, pushing beads

Of sweat so gently from my body, yes.

Her laugh does grab my hair and tousle it.

Her perfumes range from sea-salt spray to cut

Grass, funnel cake and boardwalk tar, fresh rain

In sunlight, asphalt wet and hot. Her eyes

Hold glist’ning rays of late-night sunsets on

Soft, gentle waves. She runs across green fields

And white sands, leaping from cotton ball to

White cloud in clear blue skies. The cold enrapture

Of chlorinated water or the slick

And prickly sea is her embrace. Her lips

Taste like iced lemonade and cotton candy,

Her breath contains a lingering hint of

Overly salted french fries, chocolate

Sauce on vanilla soft-serve, poolside pizza.

And when she dons her coal black gown and sneaks

Along the sky, horizon to horizon,

I can stay for such lengthy hours just

To let her voice run riv’lets down my face

Cascade over my body, ring true all

Through out the streets. I’ll jump as her soft hands

Just clap together and her rough, bare feet

Rumble away across the night, the wind

So fiercely pulling me into her raindance.

When fin’ly it’s time to sleep, we’ll retire

To the warm bedroom where we will lie nude,

And I will let her smooth skin heat my bare

Flesh as she lies atop me. And the gentle

Swells of my love’s soft, pillowy breasts will

Be where I rest my head and dream all night.

-D.M.D.M. 4-27-06