Revisiting Persephone

The Hades & Persephone Myth is one of my favourite Greek myths, though Persephone’s lack of agency frustrates me. Demeter and Hades fight over possession, but the original myth never stops to ask what she wants. Hades may have abducted her by force, but she eats the pomegranate seeds willingly—I find her desire fascinating. In the underworld, she becomes a queen with power and responsibility. When she returns to the surface, she becomes simply her mother’s daughter again, and she loses all the authority she’s gained. I couldn’t help but think how hard that must be for her, no matter how much she loves her mother. "Don’t Say it With Flowers,” is my version of her story (set in a hotel I worked at in the late 80s). I wanted to show the agency Persephone has over her own life, and also her struggle with her mom. I wanted Hades to recognize Persephone's power before her mom does.

You can read it here.