By way of the Styx

Persephone, as everyone knows,

Had hard-won

the right to depart Hell for six months of the year.

But Hades imposed restrictions.

She could only leave by river,

For the Styx connects all water cities,

especially those involved in finance.

And Cerberus had to accompany her at all times.

So as not to shock mortals with his three mouths,

accommodations had to be made.

Cerberus took the form of two watchdogs,

The goddess' ritual tattoos were concealed,

And the fiery hair simply turned red.

Yes, Persephone was in Geneva on September 20th

We saw her on the shores of Lake Geneva.

She was looking at the lake,

And her smile was sad.

She pondered the world she would lose tomorrow.

But she was pleased to be free,

And she relished every moment.

She knew she'd be back with the spring.

The chant of hope

The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice

Is inscribed in time, like a refrain

that repeats itself, tirelessly,

from age to age, century to century.

The names change, but the story remains the same:

Love, loss, despair,

And then, hope, always hope.

Guido, troubadour and artist in the Switzerland of 2023,

Has lost his muse Loretta, his beloved. Desperate he is, but not in surrender.

He knows that love is stronger than death,

And he'll do anything to find her.

Persephone, constrained wife of Hades,

takes pity on him.

She gives him a chance.

By opening one of the gates of hell,

For a handful of seconds only.

Guido must hurry

He takes a deep breath,

And launches himself into the darkness.

He sings, and his song is so beautiful,

That the gates of hell open wider.

Guido runs,

And Loretta is already right behind him.

He's almost there, he can make it.

But then he hears a voice.

"Guido, don't look back!"

He panics...