The Fall

Every September, Persephone pretends
she won’t go back to Hell, and yet
descends
from Grace,
and graceless rails
and digs her nails
into the face
of Mount Olympus, raw, compelled—

and yet aware that as a god herself she’s held
to higher standards, she is held
above the fire and can never tell
a soul
except in select soundbites that suggest she’s in control
above all else, professional—her role
remains
that she maintains
composure so as not to decompose.

Hope comes and goes
along with it the thought
that some gods have eternal curses
surely hers is not
like her friend Sisyphus convinced that this
can’t last, this pain
is unsustainable, and yet
sustained.

So bruised and certain is she at the mouth
of Hades’ halls, so regal and engulfed
she will proceed still deeper, bleed
and not concede
her fate—
to get up seven times
and fall down eight.

Aubrey Zahn is a writer, artist, and attorney living in Brooklyn. When not writing for fun or fighting for justice, she enjoys walks in the park with her dog and exploring hidden corners of the city. She is currently working on her first novel.