Ōgi / Uchiwa

First published in Voiceworks Magazine, Issue 110, “Immunity,” 2017

Her tail, a comma

cut off mid-sentence

bitten by some aquatic predator, bigger

teeth out among the reef where undersea

pacifists hide

but do not seek

eyed by those

silhouettes

cut deep

trumpet snouts

tucked against

bloated bellies

dorsal fins fluttering

like paper japanese fans

armoured plating is more

for show than anything else

bones beneath are intricate

and elegant in their edifice

I find her washed

up on the shore

a by-product

of salt

and

foam

hang                                          reminder

the ringlet                                           or a

      of her tail                          a promise

               around                 finger:

                           my index