coming of age they say
is a transformation
from a bud to a blossom

but it can also be taken
snatched
swallowed by a hole in the ground
and i fell into its depths
to join the land of the dead

my sunshine faded
and flowers wilted
replaced by darkness
and iridescent vines

the lord of the dead would take me as his wife

i refused
my place was among the sun and stars
not souls

i wandered into the garden
where a serpent offered me a pomegranate
what harm could something so sweet bring?

temptation
starvation

i swallowed a few seeds not knowing that now
i could never leave

the fruit ended my hopes of paradise

and my youth was plucked from me
like a pomegranate seed