{"product_id":"persephone-in-america","title":"Persephone in America Poems by Alison Townsend","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003ePersephone in America\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, 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. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlthough the poems traverse dark emotional territory at times, the picture that emerges ultimately is one of revelation and wisdom. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003ePersephone in America\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePersephone, Pretending \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e(Madison, Wisconsin)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen the news says that the girl\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewho had been missing almost four days,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eonly to be found in a marshy area\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eat the edge of our medium-sized city,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewas faking it all along, I wondered\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewhat made her do it. I'd seen \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eher face—bright smile, dark eyes—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eon a flier masking-taped to a pillar \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eat the airport the week before,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003efelt the involuntary frisson \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eof the curious, then only fear \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eat the thought of a girl \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eabducted\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ein this place once voted\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"America's most livable city.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe must have wanted\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003esomething she couldn't name,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ethat good girl with good grades\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewho looks like so many girls\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ein my own classes, but who keeps\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003echanging her story. It happened\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ehere; no, it happened there; no,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eI really just wanted to be alone\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThen she turns her face away, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003etired of telling her tale,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003enot sure what to make up next\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eor where invention will take her.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Fictitious victimization disorder,”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eTime\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e magazine claims, but I wonder \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewhat else, imagining her in the marsh,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ecold, unrepentant, powerless, her mind \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003egone muddy with lack of sleep, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eno way out of this lie she almost\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ebelieves, or the lies ahead,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003enothing but memory of the rope, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003educt tape, cough medicine, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eand knife she bought at the PDQ\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewith her own cash, wanting \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eto be taken by someone so badly, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eshe takes us, she does it to herself.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Red Wheel\/Weiser LLC","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":52539178451220,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Used","offer_id":52539178483988,"sku":null,"price":4.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0859\/5567\/4388\/files\/3DEF5718-ECCB-4925-9046-1583B6E6390B.jpg?v=1779565355","url":"https:\/\/www.cosmicblackcat.com\/products\/persephone-in-america","provider":"Cosmic Black Cat","version":"1.0","type":"link"}