Persephone in America

by Alison Townsend

In Persephone in America, Alison Townsend deftly weaves autobiography with myth in this reinvention of the tale of Demeter and Persephone as seen from the modern woman’s perspective. Fraught with emotional honesty, this captivating collection of lyrical and narrative poems chronicles the struggles of the figurative Persephone in three parts—the abduction, descent to the underworld, and return. Townsend turns a shrewd eye to her own experiences, as well as to the lives of other women, to offer an unflinching yet deeply compassionate exploration of such themes as girlhood and the vulnerability of the motherless; the demons of depression, addiction, and abuse; as well as passion, aging, and celebration of the natural world.

            Although the poems traverse dark emotional territory at times, the picture that emerges ultimately is one of revelation and wisdom. Persephone in America is above all a journey of the soul, following the narrator as she explores what it means to be a woman in America, at times descending into darkness, only to emerge into redemption and realize “time’s sweet and invincible secret—that everything repeats—and we watch it.” Townsend’s candid portrait of female loss and discovery seeks to illuminate the truths inherent in myth, and the awakenings that hide in our darkest moments.

 

   Persephone, Pretending

                                                (Madison, Wisconsin)

 

When the news says that the girl

who had been missing almost four days,

only to be found in a marshy area

at the edge of our medium-sized city,

was faking it all along, I wondered

what made her do it.  I'd seen

her face—bright smile, dark eyes—

on a flier masking-taped to a pillar

at the airport the week before,

felt the involuntary frisson

of the curious, then only fear

at the thought of a girl abducted

in this place once voted

"America's most livable city."

 

She must have wanted

something she couldn't name,

that good girl with good grades

who looks like so many girls

in my own classes, but who keeps

changing her story.  It happened

here; no, it happened there; no,

I really just wanted to be alone.

Genres: Poetry

128 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 2009

About the author

Alison Townsend teaches English, creative writing and women's studies at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. A walker, hiker, and gardener, she lives with her husband on four acres of prairie and oak savanna in the farm country outside Madison.

Reviews

[Rach · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful collection - this was exceptional.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually read poetry, but I really liked this collection. I was drawn to it at first simply by the title, as the Persephone/Demeter myth is my favourite of all. The author has a very moving and creative spin on the classic tale. While some poems were about more broad themes such as womanhood, life, and transience, some lines also referenced very specific parts of the original Homeric version, which was interesting to see. I definitely want to start reading more poetry now, the imagery and language in this collection was beautifully moving.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Obsessive. I expected more from the use of the Persephone myth. Perhaps I brought too many expectations to my reading and that got in the way of enjoying many of these poems.