The Apples Fell All At Once

The Apples Fell All At Once

One day we had warmth that swore it was going to stay

My Mother was never going to succumb to

those Pomegranate seeds

She had become Persephone to my Demeter

 but permanently in summer

sometimes a little breathless as if she had run like a girl

or giggled too much

Each apple became sweeter

and held tightly to the tree

I could plan what presents I could buy her for Christmas

She could come with us on holiday

I could phone or pop in

for tea and the offer of a biscuit

and then one day

the apples all fell at once

and all the sweet little contacts

vanished

I could no longer pretend

loss would never come

or that Hades would never come

for me