peel away the outside layers
you will have to use a knife
the juice will spurt and stain
tear the fruit apart
expose the jeweled womb
its seeds so tight-pressed
they are bonded
each to the other
faceted
reluctant
all at once
comes
the dark red scattering
the feast
you will pay with more
than a winter
in the underworld
you will not regret it
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Margaret Donsbach Tomlinson has loved Greek myth from childhood and still cherishes her battered old copy of “Stories of Gods and Heroes,” wonderfully (sometimes creepily) illustrated by Art Seiden. She created and manages the website HistoricalNovels.info and lives in Independence, Oregon, where she and her husband, visual artist Robert Tomlinson, helped found the Ash Creek Arts Center.
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