Bernini’s Proserpina
Look at her hand on his face:
an interruption,
as if she might rearrange
his godhood
or leave a mark on the divine.
See her curls pulled back
like water torn in haste,
Cerberus already growling
at her feet
as she writhes
into myth.
Only marble remembers
how hard it is
to be held.
12 thoughts on "Bernini’s Proserpina"
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The last line is chilling! Writhing into myth is such great to describe the a myth emerges and takes hold. Damn perfect gem!
🙏
This is stunning – what an ending!
thank you
Brilliant! And, wow, that last stanza!
thank you
Brilliant ekhphrasis with a side of mythology and pinch of wicked humor. “As if she might rearrange / his godhood”—I had to smile, just a bit.
thanks 😊
I had to look up the sculpture.
A poem deftly done, A.
Excellent:
“Writhes / into myth”
“Only marble remembers / how hard it is / to be held.”
thank you 🙏
You prompted me to look at it once again. I remember thinking that Cerberus should’ve been “less leggy.” LoL What strikes me is how slight she is compared to her attacker. Compare their thighs.
as she writhes
into myth.
into victimhood. We never get to see Persperpina/Persephone as a surviver, the Roman version being more violent than the Greek. Having her writhe into myth is so apt.
The ending is so relateable for SA survivors. Thank you for sharing this beautiful ekphrastic poem.
thank you 🙏